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Cyberbullying Remains Rampant On Social Media – Forbes

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Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Instagram made body images worse for one in three teenage girls, and the paper of record even cited Facebook’s own data. Facebook has since fired back this week stating that it isn’t accurate that the research demonstrated that Instagram is in fact “toxic” for teen girls – and instead suggested that Instagram made many teenage girls and young women feel better rather than worse.

The social network also said in a post on Sunday that “Body image was the only area where teen girls who reported struggling with the issue said Instagram made it worse as compared to the other 11 areas. But here also, the majority of teenage girls who experienced body image issues still reported Instagram either made it better or had no impact.”

Self-image is still just one factor in what may be making some girls feel bad, as it coincides with an increase in cyberbullying. This is not a new phenomenon, but Dr. Monica Barreto, PhD and licensed clinical child psychologist at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, told this reporter that the problem has been increasing.

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While the pandemic is certainly one part of it, Barreto said that cyberbullying has been on the rise amongst adolescents due, in part, to increased access to electronic devices, the Internet, and at times lack of supervision of online activity.

“Within the field of psychology, the research has varied on its stance on the correlation and relationship between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, however there are crucial differences that are important to identify,” she explained. “It can be argued that cyberbullying is a more threatening form of aggression than traditional bullying, as cyberbullies can remain anonymous, causing bullying to occur around the clock.”

What is also an issue is that the act of a cyberbully can be viewed repeatedly and shared with others without limit, making it difficult for support networks to shield victims from cyberbullying.

“Overall, cyberbullying occurs on a broader, omnipresent scale compared to traditional bullying, without physical violence, admittedly, but with the capacity to do significant harm to the reputation, emotional well-being, and social relationships of a child or adolescent,” added Barreto. “Although, cyberbullying and traditional bullying share the common feature of being behaviors that communicate disrespect and domination, the expression of dominance in cyberbullying is emotional and psychological, without limits.”

Social Media Amplifies Cyberbullying

As noted, cyberbullying existed before the emergence of social media – and may have included trolling on forums, message boards and even chat rooms; as well as the sharing of inappropriate photos by teens; or just the sharing of secrets and the spreading of rumors online.

However, just as more people, especially younger Americans, connect via social media it has led to an uptick in cyberbullying.

“Statistics show most cases are taking place on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter,” said Barreto. “Although these sites allow teens to share pictures, posts and communicate with friends, they are also a hotspot for cyberbullying. On these social media platforms, cyberbullies can make hurtful and emotionally scarring comments anonymously. These comments can be made publicly on a youth’s photo or privately in a direct message. Additionally, images or comments can be made ‘viral’ by sharing with others instantly. An additional stressor related to cyberbullying is the unlimited access teens have to social media via their phones and home devices (i.e., iPad, laptops and computers, gaming systems). Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying can be ongoing, even after the youth has left school grounds, making a teen feel helpless and without haven.”

The pandemic and the resulting lockdown have also changed social interaction for many teen girls, and even as they are going back to a physical school the problems have continued.

“Since the start of the Covid pandemic, we have seen a rise in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, isolation, and loneliness, as well as a lack of peer contact and reduced opportunities for stress reduction and emotion regulation,” explained Barreto. “With the return to school, these difficulties may impact children’s academic performance as well as their abilities to cope with stress and activities as some social activities continue to remain limited. It is important during this transition for parents to have open communication with their children, talk about their struggles, and seek mental health services and support as needed.”

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CTV National News: Social media giants sued – CTV News

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CTV National News: Social media giants sued  CTV News

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India’s media – captured and censored

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Across almost every form of media in India – social, broadcast and print – Narendra Modi and the BJP hold sway.

With India amid a national election campaign, its news media is in sharp focus. Until recently it was believed that the sheer diversity of outlets ensured a range of perspectives, but now, India’s mainstream media has largely been co-opted by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just how did the media in India get to this point and what does it mean for the upcoming elections?

Featuring:

Ravish Kumar – Former Host, NDTV
Shashi Shekhar Vempati – Former CEO, Prasar Bharati
Pramod Raman – Chief Editor, MediaOne
Amy Kazmin – Former South Asia Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Meena Kotwal – Founder, The Mooknayak

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Social media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards

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Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against multiple social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.

The school boards, including three in the Greater Toronto Area, have launched lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the owner of both Facebook and Instagram, for creating products that they allege negligently interfere with student learning and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”

But at an unrelated news conference in Ottawa on Friday, Ford said that he “disagrees” with the legal action and worries it could take the focus away from “the core values of education.”

“Let’s focus on math, reading and writing. That is what we need to do, put all the resources into the kids,” he said. “What are they spending lawyers fees to go after these massive companies that have endless cash to fight this? Let’s focus on the kids, not this other nonsense that they are looking to fight in court.”

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Four separate but similar statements of claim were filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of JusticSocial media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges,” Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education with the Toronto District School Board, said in a news release issued Thursday.

“It is imperative that we take steps to ensure the well-being of our youth. We are calling for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation.”

The school boards are represented by Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP and the news release states that school boards “will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached.”

These lawsuits come as hundreds of school districts in the United States file similar suits.

“A strong education system is the foundation of our society and our community. Social media products and the changes in behaviour, judgement and attention that they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” Duncan Embury, the head of litigation at Neinstein LLP, said in the new release.

“We are proud to support our schools and students in this litigation with the goal of holding social media giants accountable and creating meaningful change.”

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