Cyber bullying: Child and youth spirituality

Anastasia Apostolides

doi:10.4102/hts.v73i3.4692

Abstract

Digital culture is part of children’s and adolescents’ everyday lives. Digital culture has both positive and negative consequences. One such negative consequence is cyber violence that has been termed cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can cause serious emotional, behavioural and academic problems for both the victim and the bully. Although there is ongoing research on the effects of cyber bullying on children and youth in South Africa, no research has been carried out on how children’s and youth’s spirituality may be affected when they are cyber bullied. This article discusses the accumulative results from different South African institutes that have researched the cyber bullying effects on children and adolescents. These results point to the spiritual effects that children and youth may experience as a result of cyber bullying. This article proposes that spirituality may prevent cyber bullying and even help children and youth heal from the trauma caused by cyber bullying. This article contributes in starting a conversation that may result in more specific research being done on how the spiritual lives of children and adolescents may be affected through the trauma caused by cyber bullying.

Highlights

Digital culture is the norm in the everyday lives of children1 and the youth2
The purpose of this article is to examine the research done by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP) and Youth Research Bureau of Market Research at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and consider the data they have gathered on the effect of violence from cyber bullying on children and youth
This article has discussed the accumulative results from different South African institutes that have been done on how cyber bullying affects children and adolescents

Summary

Introduction

Digital culture is the norm in the everyday lives of children and the youth. Digital culture is the norm in the everyday lives of children and the youth2 It is part of their social and cultural framework. As information is so readily available to everyone via devices such as computers and cellphones, children and youth will immediately consult them for information or to socialise with their peers (McQuade, Colt & Meyer 2009:12). Children and youth ‘are creating and representing the digital culture of contemporary youth’ (McQuade et al 2009:12). Digital culture has become a prominent element in how children and youth form their identity (Yust 2014:133). A person’s identity is what makes him or her distinct from other people, and spirituality helps people seek for the purpose and reason for their existence (Eaude 2006:17)

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion