Tag: Cyber Bullying

How Watching Porn Affects Adolescent’s Brain?

Do Porn Websites Changes the Way Teenagers Think About Sex?

Recently, one of my previous year students’ parent texted me to discuss her child’s daily schedule and wanted some suggestions. While discussing, she asked, “Sir, is it ok if I forbid my kid to browse over the internet? or if I sit with him while he is using a laptop, would it hinder his privacy?” She seems concerned and confused as she starts asking such questions. When I enquired what exactly puzzling her? she replied, “I think my child watches porn because his internet browser history is full of such websites. I think it’s not normal as he is only 14”. Every year, I came across at least 2 or 3 such parental anxieties regarding their kid’s disturbing cyber behaviour. Parents have become more concerned about their kids’ virtual routine, especially in this Covid era, where the internet is becoming more of a necessity for kids. How browsing pornography can affect teens’ overall idea of sex? What impacts does porn have on adolescents’ cognitive behaviour and personality? Continue reading “How Watching Porn Affects Adolescent’s Brain?”

Why Parents Need to Aware of What Content Their Child Is Browsing?

What Role Parents Should Play in Keeping Their Child Digitally Safe and Secure

Yesterday, one of my student’s parent calls me and ask me whether she let her 15-year-old kid to have a cell phone or not because what she believes that kids usually invest all of their spare time on a cell phone. Similarly, she also fears that what if her kid got access to some inappropriate content like pornography or start participating in hateful content or messages. What that parent shared is a fear of every parent, especially in today’s virtual era where kids have easy access to thousands of internet websites. Kids are now using tablets, and smart gadgets more commonly as schools are going virtual due to pandemic. However, what parents should do to keep their kids safe and secure? Do they start surveilling every website they visit and breach their sense of privacy and trust? Continue reading “Why Parents Need to Aware of What Content Their Child Is Browsing?”

Why Do Teenagers Cyberbully Themselves?

Bullying has existed even before the internet, its impact has increased with the emergence of online communities

Over the past few years, where the internet makes distance learning and connectivity possible during catastrophic times like the present pandemic. However, the other side of the coin has a potentially harmful effect especially on teenagers, from the proliferation of fake news to online harassment. We have seen a massive increase in cyber abuse cases in India and Pakistan since the COVID-19 closure. Alone Pakistan has a tremendous 189% increase in cyber-harassment cases since April 2020. But these numbers are related to the victims who are virtually harassed by someone else, who might be known or unknown to them. What if the victim and the abuser would be the same?

Studies show that 13 percent to 18 percent of distressed teens physically injure themselves via cutting, burning or other forms of self-harm to cope with their pain. However, recent researches suggest that teenagers are now engaging in a newer form of self-aggression – Self-Cyberbullying. Digital Self-Harm is not a recent phenomenon, over the years the tendency of sending rude comments to themselves by teenagers over social media sites have increased rapidly. Continue reading “Why Do Teenagers Cyberbully Themselves?”

What Is Digital Dating Abuse and How It Impacting Today’s Teen?

Majority of the teens have become the target of cyberbullying due to online dating, with ‘name-calling and rumour-spreading’ being the most common form of harassment.

Nowadays, technology becomes an integral aspect of our daily routine, and our lives become more exposed to cyberspace than before. When there is a hope that in the era of social distancing, technology can minimise the physical distance and provide a sense of empathy, there is also a risk that the same technology may deteriorate individual’s privacy and freedom. Since March 2020, I received 2 cases of Cyberbullying and one case of Cyber-Dating Abuse. Moreover, a massive increase in cyber abuse cases in India and Pakistan has been seen since the Covid-19 closure. Alone Pakistan has a tremendous 189% increase in cyber-harassment cases since April 2020. There are loads of researches available on the topic of Cyberbullying, and you can Google it at your ease. However, in this short article, I will discuss two critical questions that, I believe, every teen and parent should ask before engaging in any sort of online social activity. Why and how teenagers around the world, including Pakistan, are becoming more prone to cyber harassment than before? What is Digital Dating Abuse, and how it affects me or my kid’s social development? Continue reading “What Is Digital Dating Abuse and How It Impacting Today’s Teen?”

How Risky the Teenage Obsession of Social Media Is

How Risky the Teenage Obsession of Social Media Is
By Ahmad Amirali

Yesterday, one of my students texted me that he sent me a friendship request and it’s still pending, kindly accept it. He is now in high school, and so I texted him back that I will look into it will confirm it. I usually don’t accept friendship requests from my students as long as they are studying with me. After which, I accept their requests. This was an exception but almost all of my students already have my contact number. Therefore, he can contact me via call or text at any time then why accepting the social media request becomes a matter of concern for him? We can socialise face to face or via call, we humans don’t require an app or a medium to socialise with other humans. Does my students’ reaction on not accepting his friend request is the result of the recent technological boom or is it a social media obsession of today’s teen? Continue reading “How Risky the Teenage Obsession of Social Media Is”