Social Media and Cyberbullying: A Vital Issue for Young People

A form of harassment 2.0 that leads to drama

The issue of cyberbullying has become a vital concern for young people. The harassment through social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram never stops. It can lead to a serious impact on the mental health of young people. As per the Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, social media has ruined the lives of too many young people. He urges social media platforms to take action to control cyberbullying.

Recently, France was shocked to find that harassment still takes so many victims. A young woman named Lindsey committed suicide at the age of 13, unable to take the situation any longer. The harassed family on Instagram continued to receive abuse even after the girl’s suicide, indicating the need to urgently take action against companies that spread hate messages from their users.

A good initiative that hides a lack of accountability?

While the initiative to create a small icon under messages to allow instantly reporting a message about violence is a good step forward, it still hides a lack of accountability. Pap Ndiaye points fingers at social media and cyberbullying to absolve himself of responsibility. He suggests that social media platforms are too slow to respond to harassment, but harassment in its most basic form existed long before the arrival of social media.

It is essential to take immediate action to control cyberbullying. Social media platforms need to create strong policies to prevent and punish cyberbullying. The government should also take an active role in educating young people and their parents about the risks of social media. Only then can we hope to protect young people from the dangers of cyberbullying.