I’m Concerned by Classmates Being Cyberbullied. What Should I Say?

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:45 JST, November 10, 2024

Dear Troubleshooter:

I’m a 14-year-old male student in my third year of junior high school.

Recently, I’ve heard that cyberbullying on social media is becoming an increasingly big problem. In my class, too, social media is causing all kinds of trouble, particularly on Line.

I was called names from sixth grade of elementary school until the second year of junior high school. So it makes me really sad to see my classmates go through the same thing.

Social media is something you just can’t help but see, not only during school hours but also when you come home. What’s more, it’s difficult for others to notice what’s going on, so I imagine it must be awful to be bullied online.

Seeing what’s happening, I blame myself for being unable to speak up to the bullies calling people names online.

What should I say to them and the victims?

E, Kanagawa Prefecture

Dear Mr. E:

Having been called names in the past, you feel tormented seeing classmates go through a similar plight. Your analysis of cyberbullying on social media is shrewd and spot on: The victims cannot help but be exposed to it, regardless of where or when it happens, yet it is barely noticed by anyone else.

This appeal from a junior high school student, a former victim of bullying, has really impressed me. Thank you.

To jump straight to the conclusion, it may be difficult to solve the problem just by speaking individually to each person involved, because social media and its effects have now become common to everyone, including even elementary school students.

It may seem obvious, but how about talking with your homeroom teacher or another trustworthy teacher? If you do, tell them to keep it secret that you spoke with them, for the sake of your own safety.

How about getting them to set up an opportunity for everyone in your class to think about the correct way to use social media and how to deal with the current problem?

Recently, there have been moves overseas to put restrictions on young people’s access to smartphones and social media. Perpetrators of cyberbullying can be penalized strictly with fines, prison terms or not being able to go to university.

These moves show how seriously social media can impact children.

Hurling abuse and spreading rumors on the internet has become an international problem. I hope that adults and children alike will improve their digital morality and literacy, in order to bring about a peaceful and secure society.

Naoki Ogi, education expert