18.6% of secondary school students experience cyberbullying: NGO

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) A survey has found that 18.6 percent of junior and senior high school students in Taiwan have experienced cyberbullying, and the threat of bullying has moved beyond schools, according to the Taipei-based Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF).

The report, based on 21,539 valid responses nationwide collected from Sept. 11-30, also showed that 40.7 percent of respondents had heard of cyberbullying incidents, with the most common types including public shaming in class chat groups, exclusion from online groups, and the sharing of private conversations for ridicule.

Among those surveyed, 7.5 percent experienced more than three forms of attack, with girls reporting higher rates of online bullying than boys, the foundation said.

What made this trend even more worrying was that 39.4 percent of students took no action when witnessing cyberbullying, potentially making isolation and indifference "a secondary form of harm," the CWLF said.

Cyberbullying had a serious impact on students, the survey found.

Of the victims, 15.1 percent had contemplated self-harm or suicide, while 48.9 percent showed signs of social anxiety or avoidance, 45.4 percent reported physical symptoms such as insomnia and headaches, and 42.2 percent felt worthless or suffered low self-esteem, the survey showed.

The foundation warned that heavy internet use among students has pushed bullying onto social media and messaging platforms, allowing it to spread more widely and persist longer, resulting in broader and more lasting harm to victims.

It cited an earlier survey of 6,122 Taiwanese junior and senior high school students, which showed that 84.6 percent used social media daily, with more than 20 percent spending nearly the entire day online.

The report also found that care from parents could be more helpful than controlling measures such as limiting screen time, noting that children with "highly attentive" parents reported fewer incidents and were more willing to discuss their problems.

It also urged witnesses of cyberbullying to seek help and provide support, and recommended that parents and teachers help children develop ways to manage their emotions and develop social skills while showing compassion.

The foundation offers an anti-bullying consultation hotline (04-2202-5399#4) and an official Line account (@antibullying). It encourages those facing cyberbullying to seek help and not to face it alone.