Think you’re old enough to handle bullies? Think again.

Cyberbullying

Fear of missing out is one main reason why young technology users stay online longer than they need to, which puts them at risk of getting cyberbullied. Students in Education City are not an exception.

When naming the dangers of technology for kids and teenagers, cyberbullying is high on the list. However, young adults are just at risk of encountering cyber bullies and may even struggle to deal with it appropriately. 

Students’ experiences

One such person is Hadeel Al-Kohaji. A 20-year-old student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Cyberbullying is something that Al-Kohaji encounters quite frequently on social media. 

According to Al-Kohaji, it tends to be anonymous and mostly via comments from complete strangers on social media. She would comment on posts “like any person would” and sometimes someone would not approve of her opinion and therefore would attack her with hurtful comments rather than offer constructive criticism or just let her express her own opinion.

“There was actually a time where I ended up arguing with an atheist who’s advocating for the abolition of all religions and refused to listen to perspectives of practicing people,” she said. “That person has since ended up blocking me and several others but that’s mainly out of her own ignorance and refusal to understand different perspectives.”

On some days it is pretty draining for Al-Kohaji. “More than anyone would think,” she said. Especially since it is the only impression of her that they got. “I end up overthinking about it for ages until I faze it out with coping mechanisms.”

While she does do her best to ignore cyber bullies, she lets it slip on certain days, well aware that she would be taking the bully’s bait. “On those days I tend to feel more drained than I usually do so I end up withdrawing and taking a day to myself,” she admitted.

A few years ago, a female student* from Education City learned a valuable lesson from a painful cyberbullying experience. This student walked in on her friend when she was video messaging a strange girl from the U.K. and decided to join her. “You can tell that this girl is the type of person who stays on the computer all day,” she said.

According to the student, her friend casually chatted to the stranger, but what came next shocked her. 

“She is ugly with a capital U,” the stranger said, referring to the student. 

 “It was the first time anyone had ever called me that. I was so shocked and it genuinely hurt me,” she said. This made the student question whether it was actually true.

How they deal with it

Al-Kohaji typically tries not to engage and directly blocks any cyber bullies, especially when the response aggravates her. Still, there are times when Al-Kohaji would cave and try to defend herself from them. “It happens in spurs though so it can go from zero to 100 real quick,” she remarked.

Al-Kohaji mostly deals with her cyberbullying experiences alone. However, there have been times where she sought help from friends when it felt too much to bear alone. “I think it’s vital to reach out to friends about something like this, especially if it happens to someone on a daily basis,” she said.

The female student has since then realized that bullies exist everywhere. “Bullying comes in many forms,” she said.  “It doesn’t just come on the internet. It doesn’t just come on the playground. It can come from your friends. It can come from your family. It can come from anywhere and you don’t even realize it.”    

Advice from a life coach

Being a constant technology user distracts students from the real world says life coach Shaikha Fahad Mohammed. It may potentially cause psychological trauma, she said. However, there are ways to reduce such risks. According to Shaikha, a student must be willing to limit their screen time and use only one way to communicate online. “Most of the time, people online interact without a purpose and that is a problem,” she remarked. 

Cyberbullying is ultimately the result of too much screen time, which has become the primary reason why students procrastinate important tasks, Shaikha said.

*This source requested to remain anonymous.