This is shown by the current study “Cyberlife IV – Cyberbullying among School Students”, which the Alliance against Cyberbullying in cooperation with the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) presented today at the federal press conference in Berlin. Accordingly, the proportion of students between the ages of eight and 21 who say they have already been affected by cyberbullying has decreased slightly compared to the previous study from 2020 (2020: 17.3 percent), but is stagnating at a high level . In 2017, before the corona pandemic, the value was 12.7 percent.
Cyberlife IV: Cyberbullying is an ongoing problem in schools
“The results show that cyberbullying has developed into a permanent problem in schools and in the private environment of children and young people. The consequences of cyberbullying are still underestimated in our society and the perpetrators do not have to face any consequences.”
Uwe Leest, Chairman of the Alliance Against Cyberbullying

Corona has made the situation even worse
The coronavirus pandemic has made the problem even worse. In the Cyberlife IV study, around seven out of ten students (65 percent) said that cyberbullying had increased since Corona. Parents and teachers see it similarly, at 46 percent each.
“Homeschooling and contact restrictions due to the corona pandemic have ensured that children and young people spend even more time online. This means that conflicts are more often carried out over the Internet.”
Dr. Jens Baas, CEO of TK:

Cyberbullying affects the psyche
And that can have serious health consequences for those affected.
“In addition to physical complaints such as headaches or stomach aches, it is primarily the psychological effects of bullying and cyberbullying that can place a heavy burden on children and young people. These include, for example, anxiety and sleep disorders as well as low mood or depression.
Dr. Jens Baas, CEO of TK:
The Cyberlife IV study also shows this: The victims of cyberbullying felt mostly hurt (58 percent), 40 percent reacted with anger and a good third (34 percent) said they were scared. Particularly alarming: one in six (15 percent) of children and young people has resorted to alcohol, tablets or drugs out of desperation and almost one in four of those affected expressed suicidal thoughts (24 percent).
“In absolute numbers, this corresponds to around 430,000 students, a very frightening number.”
Uwe Leest, Chairman of the Alliance against Cyberbullying e. v.
Too little prevention in schools
Important measures to combat bullying and cyberbullying are prevention and education. However, compared to the previous study in 2020, school offerings in this area have declined sharply. The largest decline, at 40 percent each, occurred in training courses that specifically impart strategies for dealing with cyberbullying and in anti-violence training.
“It is best to prevent bullying or cyberbullying from occurring in the first place. That's why we as TK have been supporting violence prevention projects such as the 'Being class together' offer for many years. But also offers of help in acute cases, for example the 'crisis chat'.”
Dr. Jens Baas, CEO of TK
There, professionals advise children and young people on various topics via chat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The current figures show that the problem of cyberbullying has become entrenched in our society. In many cases, anonymity online is the main problem.”
Uwe Leest, Chairman of the Alliance against Cyberbullying e. v.
Prevention, advice centers, bullying/cyberbullying law
The Alliance Against Cyberbullying provides the following recommendations for action:
In addition to schools and society, politics must also fulfill their responsibility. To protect victims, the Alliance Against Cyberbullying is calling for a cyberbullying law, which has existed in Austria since 2016. To do this, politicians must also create the personnel requirements (e.g. judges, public prosecutors and police specialists).
The Alliance Against Cyberbullying eV
The alliance was founded in July 2011. It is made up of people who are personally affected by the issue, be it professionally or privately, and who are tackling cyberbullying and violence online. The alliance is a network of committed parents, educators, lawyers, doctors, researchers and many more. It is supported by celebrities from politics, sport and the media from home and abroad and is accompanied by an international scientific advisory board. The alliance not only provides information about cyberbullying, but also promotes media literacy in schools through prevention concepts such as “We all against cyberbullying” as well as information events and offers help on the Internet. The alliance also actively supports clubs and companies in the prevention and intervention of cyberbullying.
Download Cyberlife IV study
The study can be downloaded HERE
For the survey, 355 teachers, 1,053 parents and 3,011 students nationwide were surveyed from May to July 2022 in an online survey on the topic of bullying and cyberbullying.
Source:
Technicians' Health Insurance
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