When the mobile phone becomes a weapon

Sending private photos of a classmate to others without being asked, posting hurtful messages in class chat, humiliating someone via voice message: The fact that there are children and young people who are treated meanly or even bullied online is unfortunately a reality.

Two in five young people aged between 12 and 19 have experienced false or offensive information being spread about them in chat rooms. These are the findings of the James Study 2022 conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). James stands for Youth, Activities, Media - Survey Switzerland. Almost 30 per cent of the study participants also answered yes to the question «Has someone ever tried to get you down on the internet?».

More time online means more risk of cyberbullying.

Gregor Waller, media psychologist

«The tone of behaviour online has become harsher,» says Gregor Waller, media psychologist and co-project manager of the James studies. This can also be seen from the fact that the number of yes answers to the question mentioned has risen by almost ten per cent in the last six years.

However, this does not mean that there are more cases of cyberbullying. After all, someone who has been insulted or teased online can also answer in the affirmative. However, this does not yet count as bullying. «However, our research clearly shows that young people are using their devices for longer overall. More time online means more risk of cyberbullying,» says Waller.

No standardised definition of cyberbullying

Other studies provide specific figures on cyberbullying. For example, the «EU Kids Online Switzerland 2019» study found that one to five per cent of the 9 to 16-year-olds surveyed are affected by cyberbullying. The study is part of a multinational research programme that examines how young people use the internet and the risks they experience in numerous European countries.

According to study author Martin Hermida, this figure has remained constant in recent years and is in line with other European countries. «The significant thing about cyberbullying is not that it occurs extremely often in the severity we have recorded. But that when it does occur, it is extremely bad for those affected,» says Hermida. The study classifies virtual vulgarities as cyberbullying if they occur at least once a week. 13 per cent of the young people surveyed stated that they occasionally experience mean behaviour in the digital world.

So when is a «Fuck you!» on WhatsApp, an «OMG, you ugly bitch» under an Insta photo or a defaced or intimate picture that is passed on «just» mean? And when does it become cyberbullying?

«How bad something is perceived depends not only on the frequency of the attacks, but also on the individual context and subjective perception,» says Martin Hermida. «A child may only be bullied online once every two months, but still suffer greatly as a result.»

The audience has a central role to play: if nobody was looking, bullies would have no resonance.

There is no standardised definition of cyberbullying. Swiss Crime Prevention speaks of several perpetrators who deliberately insult, threaten, expose or harass a person via the internet or mobile phone over a longer period of time. According to other definitions, the aggression can also come from a single person. Many descriptions are based on the defining characteristics of traditional bullying - such as imbalance of power, intent and repetition. It remains questionable whether these can be easily transferred to cyberbullying.

Shame, fear and anger

«If you reduce cyberbullying to criteria such as «repeated» or «long-term», my hair stands on end,» says parent counsellor Christelle Schläpfer from Winterthur. You can destroy someone within ten days with virtual vulgarities. «You can't wait for incidents to happen again and again.» As a bullying expert, Schläpfer counsels parents and schools and gives courses and talks on what bullying and cyberbullying can trigger: «Shame, fear, anger and lasting wounds.»

Cyberbullying often happens without parents or teachers knowing about it. According to the «EU Kids Online Switzerland 2019» study, children and young people who are treated meanly online are most likely to tell a friend. 20 per cent do not tell anyone. According to the study by the Alliance Against Cyberbullying, it is often part of the «survival strategy» of those affected not to let on. The signs that do exist are diffuse: depression, for example, a drop in performance or frequent absences from school, headaches or stomach aches, a retreat into other worlds or anger.

Christelle Schläpfer hears many teachers say things like: «I'm not in the class chat. How am I supposed to notice anything?» The former secondary school teacher doesn't accept this argument. «If I'm sensitive and know my pupils, I can tell when something is wrong with the class dynamics. For example, if a child is no longer involved in group work or is often laughed at.»

In training courses for teachers, the expert also realises that many have a false image of bullying or cyberbullying. «They often want to resolve it like a conflict between two parties. But that adds fuel to the fire.»

A perfidious dynamic

Bullying is not about differences of opinion between person A and person B. Bullying is based on a dynamic of its own that can arise anywhere and at any time. It is a particular form of violence that can occur in different forms: verbal, physical and psychological. Perpetrators of cyberbullying aim to make themselves feel better by exposing or devaluing another person.

Without classic bullying with eye-rolling and exclusion, cyberbullying rarely arises.

In addition to perpetrators and victims, the audience plays a central role. If no one was watching, bullies would have no resonance and would soon lose interest. In addition to followers who participate or «applaud», this also includes those spectators who are seemingly uninvolved. «They also contribute to the fact that it doesn't stop,» says Schläpfer. «By remaining silent, they give permission to continue.»

Bullying and cyberbullying are characterised by complex group dynamics that sometimes continue for years. «Most cyberbullying cases arise from conventional bullying that began in lower school grades and was not properly resolved there,» says Schläpfer.

Expansion into the digital space

Bettina Dénervaud and Pascal Kamber agree. The two bullying experts founded the «Help with Bullying» specialist centre in 2019. It is based in the Bern and Lucerne area and offers counselling for parents, seminars for schools and on-site interventions throughout German-speaking Switzerland.

«Cyberbullying is often viewed in isolation,» says Dénervaud. But without classic bullying with eye-rolling, exclusion and everything that goes with it, cyberbullying rarely arises. «Apart from a few exceptions, such as when hate speech spreads, the bully and the victim know each other.»

When young people are bullied, the EU platform Klicksafe.de writes on its website, it can be assumed that this takes place both offline and online: «The analogue and digital worlds of children and young people overlap seamlessly and must therefore be considered together.»

Bullying and cyberbullying are often inseparable. Pascal Kamber gives an example: If a victim of bullying is beaten up in the playground, a video of it is quickly created and distributed on Tiktok. «Digital acts as a catapult, like an extended arm that makes classic bullying worse.» Dénervaud knows a family who moved house because their child was being bullied. Another affected child told his mother several times that it would be better if he was no longer there.

While classic bullying often starts early - Kamber regularly advises parents of kindergarten children - smartphones simply expand the possibilities. Those who are «only» bullied offline can at least take a breather in the safety of their own home. Cyberbullying, on the other hand, means constant exposure and constant stress 24 hours a day.

«Parents often say: «Just switch off the device»,» says Dénervaud. «But the child knows that the insults will continue. And at some point they have to switch it on again. If they can only do this with palpitations, switching it off won't help.»

Boys bully more often than girls

According to Kamber, class chats are a classic place where bullying goes beyond analogue bullying. According to the «EU Kids Online Switzerland 2019» study, direct messages and social media are the most common channels for attacks, while online games are less significant in comparison. However, if we only look at the boys' responses, it is clear that games are the most common cyberbullying venue for them. Pascal Kamber also knows examples: «Those affected are the only ones not invited to play games, excluded in role-playing games or beaten up.»

According to studies, girls are affected almost twice as often as boys by sexual harassment and insulting and false comments online. However, bullies are more often boys than girls.

The most serious cyberbullying cases that Pascal Kamber has had to deal with recently have centred on sexting. He tells the story of a teenage couple who had broken up. Out of revenge or disappointment, the young man then disseminated naked pictures of his ex-girlfriend. «It's hell for the person concerned, even if it's reported to the police,» says Dénervaud. «Knowing that her pictures might still be online somewhere is unbearable and shameful.»

Bullying as a pastime

There is no such thing as a typical cyberbullying story. The contexts are too complex and the background to each case is too individual. In addition to humiliation, happy slapping, exclusion or sexting, rumours may be spread, threats made or slander cast. Virtual bullying also includes cyberstalking and identity theft, for example via a cracked or faked social media profile. A particularly perfidious example was provided a few years ago by a 14-year-old from Bavaria who, following a series of cyberbullying attacks, posted an online death notice for one of his classmates.

Bullying must be resolved where it originated. This is usually in the classroom.

Bettina Dénervaud, Bullying counsellor

What makes children and young people do such nasty things? Sometimes it is simply fun or boredom that makes children antagonise other children - bullying as a way to pass the time. Another reason can be the desire for power and status. Sometimes it is a desire for revenge: it is not uncommon for those affected to reverse the signs and bully themselves. According to the study by the Alliance Against Cyberbullying, around a fifth of cyberbullies were previously victims of bullying themselves.

The wide reach and the ease with which it is possible to dish it out are additional attractions of online bullying. The absence of the other person and the possible anonymity lower the inhibition threshold. «I can suddenly say things that I wouldn't otherwise dare to say,» says Christelle Schläpfer. «Adults themselves know how easy it is to write a pointed comment online.»

The larger audience and therefore the greater publicity of the humiliation: This makes cyberbullying even more perfidious than «analogue» bullying. Added to this is the fact that chat histories, photos and videos can be disseminated and stored locally. For those affected, there is no «protected» space, no break and often no opportunity to leave their social structure. They are at the mercy of the situation.

The risk of depression, self-harm and suicidal behaviour is also many times higher when cyberbullying is added to bullying, says Bettina Dénervaud. The age of many of those affected, in the middle of puberty, also contributes to their increased vulnerability.

The difficult role of schools

Ever since the tragic death of 13-year-old Céline from Spreitenbach AG, we have been aware of the consequences of cyberbullying here in Switzerland. The schoolgirl took her own life in August 2017. Prior to this, she had been massively exposed, harassed and threatened on social media.

What can parents and schools do to stop virtual bullying? Christelle Schläpfer, Bettina Dénervaud and Pascal Kamber experience a lot of powerlessness and helplessness among parents of affected children. But the three experts agree that parents cannot stop cyberbullying on their own. «Bullying has to be stopped where it started,» says Dénervaud, «and that's usually in the classroom.»

All too often, schools shirk their duties, says the expert. «They hope it will get better on its own. But it never does.» At worst, the victim is blamed and the bullying is virtually legitimised: «If the girl or boy wasn't so weird, there wouldn't be any bullying.» The dramatic consequences of bullying are ignored until adulthood.

One argument that Christelle Schläpfer often hears is: «It happens on the way to school and that's not our responsibility.» But where else, if not at school, can bullying be combated? «Teachers need to be equipped with more expertise and tools to do this,» says the expert. A confrontation, as is often the case, is a horror for those affected and is not effective. «Bullies are not cooperative. They tend to deny everything. Afterwards, they say to their victim: «You snitch, I'm being punished because of you.» And carry on, sometimes even worse and more subtle.»

Bullying and cyberbullying should already be more strongly addressed in pedagogical training.

When Schläpfer works with a school class, she uses metaphorical methods, seeking access to children and young people through stories or films, for example. She also uses group work and discussion groups to sensitise pupils to issues of social skills and empathy.

Schläpfer, Dénervaud and Kamber like to use the no-blame approach against cyberbullying. The approach developed in England in the 1990s works without accusations. According to Kamber, accusations and punishments rarely result in positive outcomes. This in no way means that no charges should be brought.

«As soon as criminal offences are suspected, the police should be called in.» At the same time, however, it is important to ensure that this does not make the situation worse. This is another reason why criminal prosecution is never a substitute for careful pedagogical monitoring of a case.

Prevention pays off

It would be even better if cyberbullying never happened. Dénervaud and Kamber would like to see a stronger focus on bullying and cyberbullying in pedagogical training programmes. Bettina Dénervaud says that if head teachers, teachers and social workers were more empowered and enabled to recognise bullying and take targeted action from the outset, individual cases would not escalate into cyberbullying.

According to Schläpfer, three things are needed in everyday school life: prevention, prevention, prevention. Instead, she often hears today: «There's no bullying at our school.» Or: «We don't have time.» According to the expert, the investment would be worthwhile. If a case occurs, it takes much more time. «And ultimately, school should be a safe place.»

Curriculum 21 includes topics such as the consequences of media and virtual behaviour as well as the opportunities and risks of media use in the «Media and IT» skills area. «Often all that is organised is a lecture by the police. That's better than nothing,» says Pascal Kamber. «But once the topic is ticked off, it doesn't have a lasting effect.»

However, the experts also see schools that deal intensively with cyberbullying. Individual, highly committed people are often responsible for this, says Kamber. It is essential for schools to increase their efforts more systematically with projects and action weeks. «This is the only way to get the topic of cyberbullying the attention it deserves. And it's the only way to achieve a preventative effect.»