How cyberbullying affects our wellbeing | Mahi Talwar | TEDxTarneit Youth

Key Concepts

• Cyberbullying: The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
• Impact on Learning: How cyberbullying negatively affects a student's academic performance and engagement.
• Impact on Wellbeing: The psychological and emotional consequences of cyberbullying on a child.
• Social Anxiety: The fear of social situations and interactions, often exacerbated by cyberbullying.
• School Community Group: A student-led initiative focused on creating a safe and supportive school environment.
• Digital Citizenship: The responsible and ethical use of technology.

The Devastating Impact of Cyberbullying on a Child's Learning and Wellbeing

This presentation details the profound negative effects of cyberbullying on a child's academic performance and overall emotional health, using the illustrative case of "Charlie."

Case Study: Charlie's Experience

• The Incident: Charlie became a victim of cyberbullying when a photo of her was posted online without her consent, accompanied by a cruel caption labeling her a "loser."
• Online Harassment: The post generated harmful comments such as, "You're so ugly. Go and die. The world would be a better place without you."
• Emotional Distress: The narrator describes feeling "trapped" and like they were "watching my friend being attacked from inside a locked room," highlighting the helplessness experienced by bystanders.
• Escalation to Real Life: The online incident "followed her into her thoughts, her learning, and it even crept into her schoolwork."
• School Environment: Upon returning to school, Charlie experienced heightened self-consciousness due to "eyes follow her, whispers, rise like a tide," and people pointing out "small things" that felt "enormous" under scrutiny.
• Academic Decline: The classroom, once a safe space, became "heavy." Charlie experienced anxiety about her appearance, which "drown[ed] out thoughts of school." This led to her "skipping classes, offering excuses, and her grades started falling."
• Behavioral Changes: A once engaged student became avoidant of school and interaction, even "avoiding herself."
• Intervention and Recovery: Teachers and parents noticed the change, leading to Charlie being referred to a counselor. With support, she began to "speak about her feelings, rebuild her confidence, and talk about her fears," though the "emotional scars left behind would take time to heal."

Broader Implications of Cyberbullying

• Prevalence: The speaker initially believed cyberbullying was "rare" but realized it is "anything but distant" after witnessing Charlie's experience and that of "so many other people."
• Psychological Effects: Cyberbullying can cause individuals to "worry more about their appearance, lay awake wondering if people are laughing unseen."
• Impact on Learning Environment: A school, intended as a place to "grow," can become a place to "shrink" for victims. It becomes "hard to raise your hand when you're fragile. Hard to learn when your mind is elsewhere."

Proposed Solutions and Call to Action

• School Community Group Initiative: The speaker proposes creating a school community group focused on fostering a "safe and supportive environment for all students."
• Focus Areas: This group would address critical social topics including cyberbullying, mental health, and peer pressure, and provide support for students in distress.
• Methods: The group would utilize "open discussions, awareness campaigns, and peer support."
• Objectives: The aim is to "build the positive change in our school community" by emphasizing "what respect looks like online and what to do if someone crosses the boundary." The core principle is to "learn, share, and help each other."
• Vision for a Digital World: Cyberbullying is framed as a "mirror of the world we're building." The call is to "build a safe digital world where kindness drs our cruelty, where every voice is heard, where no one feels alone behind a screen."
• Individual Responsibility: The presentation concludes with a reminder that "We all have a role to play, so let's choose to be the reason someone feels like they belong."

Conclusion

The presentation powerfully illustrates how cyberbullying can inflict severe emotional distress, leading to social anxiety, avoidance, and a significant decline in academic performance. It advocates for proactive, community-based solutions within schools, emphasizing education, open dialogue, and peer support to cultivate a safer digital and physical environment for all students. The core message is a call for collective responsibility in creating a more inclusive and supportive world, both online and offline.