5% of kids in India have been affected by cyberbullying

Bengaluru: An alarming number of Indian kids who experience cyberbullying is 85%, the highest rate in the world, according to a study recently published by McAfee. As per the survey, 45 per cent of these children were bullied by strangers and 48 per cent by people known to them.

According to Gagan Singh, Chief Product Officer, McAfee, "Cyber-bullying in India reaches alarming highs as more than one in three kids experience cyber-racism, sexual harassment, and threats of physical harm as early as at the age of 10 - making India the number one nation for reported cyber-bullying in the world."

Youngsters in India reported cyberbullying on 14 different platforms, from Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and WhatsApp, up to 1.5 times more frequently than children in other nations. TikTok is the only exception; it is still prohibited in India.

According to experts, more people are experiencing cyberbullying as a result of the anonymity that the internet offers its users, which makes the victims of bullying feel nervous, depressed, isolated, and fearful. The most typical forms of cyberbullying include trolling, personal attacks, sexual harassment, and doxing.

The pandemic has increased the number of users. According to cyber psychologist Nirali Bhatia, those who use the Internet without the necessary skills and manners often abuse the anonymity the platform provides without accepting responsibility.

A cyber-security analyst agreed with Nirali that people are frequently persuaded online. People need to be made aware of how important it is to utilise platforms responsibly and to be safe. Despite the safety measures in place, ignorance frequently results in such incidents.

No matter who you talk to online, Nirali emphasised that there should never be any blind faith: "Always verify and do not trust anyone blindly.

" She continued by saying that every online activity a user engages in leaves a digital trail. The guidelines and codes of conduct must be understood by the users. Additionally, people should speak out against online harassment and not keep quiet because doing so gives the offender greater confidence to harass others online.