W

hile young people are familiar with the internet and social media, that does not necessarily mean they are fully aware of the dangers of online activities, let alone of cyberbullying.

A survey by Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) showed 58 percent of young people between the ages of 12 and 21 in Indonesia were unaware of cyberbullying. The survey also found an average of one in eight young people were exposed to cyberbullying.

“Impacts from cyberbullying are serious. Pressure on the social life of young people is now greater. If they are not strong they could even commit suicide,” said YCAB secretary-general Muhammad Farhan during the Think Before You Share campaign in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday.

The finding was based on analysis of raw data from the Central Statistics Agency from 2006 to 2014, he added.

In February 2016, UK-based social marketing agency We Are Social announced that there were 88.1 million internet users in Indonesia and 79 million of them used Facebook.

Similar data was also released by the Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association.

The biggest number of Facebook users, 35 million people, are in the 20- to 29-year-old demographic, followed by 26 million in the 13- to 19-year-old group. A high number of Facebook users are not equipped with adequate knowledge about issues, especially cyberbullying.

The Think Before You Share campaign is a collaboration between Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa and the Sudah Dong (Stop it) anti-bullying community. They have gained support from Facebook, targeting young people and parents to teach them how to share positive content through social media.

The activity has taken place in a number of cities, such as Balikpapan, Bandung, Denpasar, Malang and Palembang.

Based on data from the Pacer Center, a US-based organization concerned with improving the quality of life of children with disabilities, there are 3.2 million children who have become victims of bullying in the US.

More than 160,000 children skip school every day because of the trauma from the terror they face in school. The condition illustrates the adverse effects of physical bullying.

“The presence of social media makes it very challenging. That’s why we are committed to using social media as well as possible,” said Farhan.

The Think Before You Share campaign stemmed from concerns on the use of social media that allows everyone to share any content on the internet.

“If the shared content is positive there is no problem, but social media also allows the spread of negative content, including bullying. We call on the young to first think about things that are good for them to share. We also provide guidance to parents because the family will be very influential in shaping the mindset and attitude of children,” said Farhan.

Facebook Economic Growth Initiatives head Clair Deevy said the Think Before You Share campaign was already underway in other parts of the world. Facebook has many concerns related to the spread of negative content and bullying.

“Empowering the community is very important for us, so they can make a report to us if something goes wrong. We have the tools to help the community,” said Deevy, who has an office in Singapore.

Sudah Dong spokesperson Fabelyn Baby Walean said her group had received at least 250 reports related to bullying over the past couple of years.

“More than half of the cases are related to cyberbullying,” said Fabelyn.

In addition, Think Before You Share trainee Riska Amalia, 19, said she joined the program because she wished to help stop bullying on social media.

“I have a friend who became a victim of bullying. Consequently, she could not express herself fully when in a group. Things like this should no longer happen to others,” said the university student from Tegal, Central Java.