A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON CYBERBULLYING AND ITS EFFECTS IN INDIA BY - ROSY KUMAR & PRAVEEN ANANDHAN

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON CYBERBULLYING AND ITS EFFECTS IN INDIA
 
AUTHORED BY – ROSY KUMAR[1] & PRAVEEN ANANDHAN[2]
 
 
ABSTRACT
Cyber bullying is becoming a major concern surrounding adolescents and undergraduate populations because of the increased use of the internet and social networking sites. It’s one of the major causes of depression worldwide in the current era. The advances in internet and Information Communication Technology (ICT) has facilitated cyber bullying. It’s crucial to remember that cyber bullying is not just about “kids being kids” – it can have serious psychological consequences on adult as well. There are many different ways in which cyber bullies reach their victims, including instant messaging over the internet, social media etc. There are various forms of cyber bullying including harassment, impersonation, and cyber stalking. Like bullying, cyber bullying is a serious problem which can cause the victim to feel inadequate and overly self-conscious, along with the possibility of committing suicide. In this research, the sampling method used is convenient sampling and the sample size is 212 people. The sample frame included friends, families and people in my neighbourhood. The findings from this research can be used to learn and acquire more knowledge about cyber bullying and the struggles the cyber bullying victims face in their day-to-day lives. The other important finding is to see whether there is any correlation between cyber bullying and academic, social, and emotional development. Cyber bullying incidents can be reduced by creating a safer digital environment that requires a collective effort from individuals, families, schools and online platforms to cultivate a culture of respect and understanding for each other.
 
KEYWORDS: Cyber bullying, Adolescents, Harassment, Cyber stalking, Suicide
 
 
INTRODUCTION
When the thought of bullying arises, many people think of physical altercations or face-to-face harassment. Cyber bullying is a relatively new term that takes on a whole new form of bullying. Cyber bullying is a form of bullying that occurs through electronic technology including texting, email, messaging through social media, etc. Bullying is not a new phenomenon, but the widespread adoption of new communication technologies has enabled the migration of bullying behaviour to cyberspace, a phenomenon widely characterised as cyber bullying. Usage of social media has increased in recent times among teenagers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyber bullying is of growing concern to parents, police, educators and the public in general because of its increased prevalence and the fact that it has been implicated as a factor in several teen suicides. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has led to a reduction in cyber-attacks on government networks due to its advancement in tackling the nation’s cyber security. Cyber Surakshit Bharat is an initiative from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) that pointed at creating a robust cyber security ecosystem in India. As a part of Indian Government Initiatives on Cyber security, to safeguard critical information relevant to national security, economic development, and public health, India has established the National Critical Information infrastructure protection centre. A National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 is still under development at the Indian government cyber security department National Security Council Secretaries by the office of the National Cyber Security Coordinator. The aim is to increase the quality of cyber security audits will help improve cyber awareness. Victims of cyber bullying usually suffer psychological disturbances and have low self-esteem. There is a positive relationship between cyber victimisation and low self-esteem. Feelings of loneliness and insecurity are more prevalent. They lose trust in everything and everybody around them. There will be a drop of social behaviour and tend to isolate themselves. They usually find it hard to concentrate on studies and suffer from brain fog .Many Research concludes that these people's minds are full of dark thoughts and almost 90 per cent of people suffer insomnia, change of appetite and a state of fear and upset all the time. Survey and Research found that 85 % of Indian kids are prone to cyber bullying and which is the highest in the world. This is found to be twice the international average. Many laws are created on the ground of cyber security but these are not implemented effectively. People are still not aware of what is cyber bullying and hence do not show any importance towards it. There is increased use of internet after Covid -19 pandemic. Teenagers suffer bullying mainly because of their appearance. Out of 10, 7 of the young people experience cyber bullying before they hit the age of 18. After India, Brazil and the United States are marked the next highest level for cyber bullying in the survey among 27 countries. Russia, Chile, Japan, and France are figured at the bottom of the list .The law and punishments in the latter are very strict and people are more civilised and the technology is well secured.
 
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Usha Mary Sharma ,Seema Ghi Singh, Esther (June 2014)  aim to study the crime related to cyber and the cyber-crime detection methods and classification methods have come up with varying levels of success for preventing and protecting data from such attacks. Data was collected through questionnaires. From this research, found the common areas where cyber-crime occurs usually and also email related crimes .Case studies regarding cyber-crimes were also mentioned in this research.
 
Tommy K.H.Chan, Zach W.Y.Lee (March 2021) aims to study cyber bullying in social networking sites. The main purpose of the study is to consolidate the existing knowledge through a literature review and analysis. The self-reported survey method was used to solicit respondent’s prior experience with cyber bullying victimisation and bystanders.10 research questions were found for the future study and learnt the growing evil in the society.
 
Qing Li (25 May 2010) aims to explore high school student’s beliefs and behaviours associated with cyber bullying. It also aimed at studying the aftermath of the bullying. Data was collected from 12 students through personal interviews. One finding is that over 40%would do nothing if they were cyber bullied, and only 1 in 10 would inform adults. Students feel reluctant to report cyber bullying to adults in schools for various reasons.
 
Ghada M. Abaido (26 Sep 2019) aimed to explore the pervasiveness of cyber bullying among university students ,its nature and venues, and their attitude towards reporting cyber bullying in contrast to remaining silent. Data were collected from 200 students from UAE University. It was found that 91% of the study sample confirmed the existence of acts of cyber bullying on social media with Instagram being the highest followed by Facebook.
 
Hillary Noll (2016) aims to discuss the impact of cyber bullying on today’s youth and to explore the high school student’s experiences being an victim and to study the relationship between these victim and suicidal thoughts. The Data was collected through survey using both quantitative and qualitative questions. It was found that almost all the victims face negative emotional impacts and sometimes even suicidal thoughts.
 
Yehuda Peled (March 23 2019) aimed to investigate the influence of cyber bullying on the academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. It’s objective is to provide additional data and understanding of the influence of cyber bullying on various variables affecting undergraduate students. The data were collected using the revised cyber bullying survey which evaluates the frequency and media used to perpetrate cyber bullying. Correlation analysis were conducted .It was found that 57% of the students had experienced cyber bullying at least once or twice through different social media, instant messaging was found to be the most common means of cyber bullying among the students.
 
Chengyan Zhu, Shiqing Huang, Richard Evans and Wei Zhang (March 11, 2021) aimed to study the impact of cyber bullying among adolescents and children and also focused on the national and regional effects of cyber bullying. This systematic review also examines the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures taken worldwide to fight cyber bullying among adolescents and children .Data was collected through a systematic review of available literature and additional records were identified from cyber bullying Research Centre and United Nation Children’s Fund. It was found that verbal abuse was the common type of bullying
 
Michelle F.Wright, Shanmukh V. Kamble and Shruti P.Soudi aimed to examine the relationships among cyber aggression involvement and cultural values .The data was collected from 480 adolescents from India. The findings revealed that individualism and collectivism were related positively to peer attachment. In addition, individualism was associated positively with cyber aggression perpetration and cyber victimisation, whereas these were negative for collectivism.
 
Laura Marciano, Peter J Schulz,Anne-Linda Camerini aims to meta -analytically summarise 56 longitudinal studies on cyber perpetration ,cyber victimisation, and related factors in children and adolescents. Data collected from previous literature. It was found that there were spill over effects i.e offline bullies who continue to bully online as well as victims being bullied in the school yard also experience episodes of bullying in cyber bullying.
 
Marizen Ramirez, Anthony Paik, Octav Chipara, Padmini Srinivasan, Karen Heimer, Corinne Peek-ASA, Shelly Campo (April 2019) aimed to study the prevalence and risk factors associated with cyber bullying and their links with offline bullying, violence and delinquency. Data was collected from 164 adolescents using personal interview method. The major findings of this research are that they introduced many policies for the prevention of cyberbullying. Another important finding is that offline bullying victims usually turns into online victims too.
 
Mary Woeps (May 2020) aim is to review both online and offline prevention methods in order to identify what works in preventing cyber bullying from happening to young people. It also aimed at discussing the role of parents, schools in the life of victims. The method used here is an empirical research method and reviewed old research works also. It was found that the relationship between adolescents and their parents is very important to prevent them from becoming a victim and also less likely to engage in bullying behaviours.
 
R.Lavanya, Kalpana G. Prasad (2014) aims to study the prevalence of cyber bullying and to also find its nature and impact. The data was collected through a survey method conducted among students belonging to age 15 and 19 years. It was found that over 85% of teenagers access cyberspace through their smartphones which has exposed them to the brunt of cyber bullying.
 
Apoorva Bhangla and Jahanvi Tuli (2021) aimed to study cybercrime and its legal framework. Data was collected from old books and through review of literature. The important finding is that there is need of the hour to evolve societal and cultural norms and development of information technology. Other steps like digital literacy and data security are important. Strict laws with reference to women were also introduced.
 
Mohammed I. Alghamdi (2020) aimed to study the impact of cyber-crimes and possible measures to be taken to curtail its spread. This study also examines various forms of cyber-crimes. The data was collected from previous literature studies. It was found that harmonisation of cybercrime is needed for regulation and legislation across the country. Also found the common computer crimes in the world.
 
Michael Pittaro (2007) aims to analyse the online harassment and intimidation. The data was collected through survey method. This paper founded the glimpse into the deviant behaviours and tactics associated with cyber stalking crimes, legislative intervention measures, and preventative initiatives created specifically to curtail this emerging global crime.
 
Adesoji Ademiluyi, Chuqin Li, Albert park (2022) aimed at exploring implications and preventions of cyber bully on social media .The data was collected through review of previous literature. It was found suicidal thoughts were more prevalent among victims and identified the detention methods for monitoring cyber bully.
 
Conor Mc Guckin, Trijntje Vollink, Francine Dehue (November 2015) aims to discuss about the problem of cyber bullying which has increased in recent times. The data was collected through review of previous literature. It was found that cyber bullying has become more prevalent and found the various ways of cyber bullying. It was found that cyber bullying was a serious problem and talked about the preventive methods.
 
Premill D’ Cruz, Ernesto Noronto aimed to study the impact of cyberbullying in India. It also discussed the work experiences of call agents in International call centres especially among women. The data was collected through a survey method. It was found from the maintenance of records that male were mostly the bully.
 
Lalita Minochqa, Sherayas Minocho (2017) aimed to study the prevalence of cyber stalking and safety of teenagers on the internet. The data was collected from 200 students. It was found that exploitation of children in cyberspace can create havoc on the victim’s mind which leads to disastrous consequences.
 
Brian Weismann (2011) aims at studying the increased level of cyber bullying among school students. The data was collected through a survey method. Totally 118 surveys were conducted. Principals of 66 schools responded .It was found that through this study it was easy to understand the concept of cyber bullying in a better way .It was found that most of the cyber bullying victims were middle aged people as they are more exposed to social media.
 
OBJECTIVES
?       To study the causes of cyber bullying
?       To discuss the ways to prevent teenagers from becoming a victim of cyber bullying
?       To analyse how cyber bullying had increased in recent times
?       To study the effects of cyber bullying on the victim’s mental health
?       To discuss how government can educate people about the harm cyber bullying does
 
METHODOLOGY
The research method followed here is descriptive and empirical research. A total of 200 samples have been collected out of which all samples have been collected through convenient sampling methods. The sample frame is in and around Poonamallee, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The independent variables are age, gender, educational qualifications, occupation, and Living area. The dependent variables used here are the causes of cyber bullying, ways to prevent teenagers from becoming a victims of cyber bullying, how cyber bullying increased in recent times, effects of cyber bullying on the victim’s mental health. The statistical tools used here is Percentage analysis, Bar charts, Pie charts, Chi-square and ANOVA.
 
DATA AND ANALYSIS
FIGURE 1
 
 
 
Legend Fig 1 shows the graph of respondent’s opinion regarding the causes of cyber bullying.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 2
 
Legend Fig 2 Shows that graph of respondent’s opinion on ways to prevent from becoming a victim of cyber bullying
 
FIGURE 3
 
Legend Fig 3. Shows the graph of different gender respondent’s opinions regarding the causes of cyber bullying.  
 
 
 
FIGURE 4
 
 
Legend Fig 4. Shows the graph of respondents living in different areas and their opinion on causes of cyber bullying.
 
FIGURE 5
 
 
 
Legend Fig 5. Shows the graph of respondents of different gender and their opinions regarding the ways to prevent from becoming a victim of cyber bullying.
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 6
 
 
 
Legend Fig 6 shows the graph of respondents with different occupations and their opinions regarding the ways to prevent from becoming a victim of cyber bullying.
 
FIGURE 7
 
 
Legend Fig 7 shows the graph of respondents living in different areas and their opinions regarding the ways to prevent from becoming a victim of cyber bullying.
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 8
 
 
Legend Fig 8 shows the graph of respondents of different age groups and how they rate the increasing issue of cyber bullying in recent times.
 
FIGURE 9
 
 
Legend Fig 9 shows the graph of respondents of different educational qualifications and how they rate the increasing issue of cyber bullying in recent times.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 10
 
 
Legend Fig 10 shows the graph of respondents of different occupations and how they rate the increasing issue of cyber bullying in recent times.
 
FIGURE 11
 
 
Legend Fig 11 shows the graph of respondents living in different areas and how they rate the increasing issue of cyber bullying in recent times.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 12
 
 
 
Legend Fig 12 shows the graph between respondents of different age groups and their opinion whether cyber bullying is a punishable crime.
 
FIGURE 13
 
 
 
Legend Fig 13 shows the graph between respondents of different gender and their opinion whether cyber bullying is a punishable crime.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 14
 
 
Legend Fig 14 shows the graph between respondents of different educational qualifications and their opinion whether cyber bullying is a punishable crime.
 
FIGURE 15
 
 
Legend Fig 15 shows the graph between respondents of different occupations and their opinion whether cyber bullying is a punishable crime.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 16
 
Legend Fig 16 shows the graph between respondents living in different areas and their opinion whether cyber bullying is a punishable crime.
 
FIGURE 17
 
 
Legend Fig 17 shows the graph of respondents belonging to different age groups and their opinion on the effects of cyber bullying on the victim in terms of insomnia.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 18
 
 
Legend Fig 18 shows the graph of respondents belonging to different genders and their opinion on the effects of cyber bullying on the victim in terms of insomnia.
 
FIGURE 19
 
 
Legend Fig 19 shows the graph of respondents belonging to different age groups and their opinion on the effects of cyber bullying on the victim in terms of suicidal thoughts.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FIGURE 20
 
 
Legend Fig 20 shows the graph of respondents belonging to different genders and their opinion on the effects of cyber bullying on the victim in terms of suicidal thoughts.
 
RESULTS
Fig 1 shows that almost 35 per cent of respondents responded that the victim might turn himself as a bully to vent out the anger and almost equal number of people chose revenge motive and due to addiction. Fig 2. Shows that almost 47 per cent of respondents responded by raising awareness and setting up privacy control. Fig 3. Shows that most of the female respondents chose psychological distress as the main cause and male respondents chose the option victims might turn into a bully to vent out his anger. Fig 4.  90 per cent of the urban respondents responded to psychological distress and rural respondents responded because of a revenge motive. Fig 5.shows that most of the females and males chose raising awareness and setting up privacy control is important compared to others. Fig 6. Shows that most of the unemployed respondents I.e. studying part of the society and respondents working in private sectors felt that raising awareness and setting up privacy control in all the devices we use  is important. Fig 7. Shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas felt that raising awareness and setting up privacy control in all the devices we use is important. Fig 8. Shows that respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years chose 7 which means moderately increased and respondents of age group 21-30 years chose 9 implicating that cyber bullying has increased in recent times. Fig 9 Shows that most of the undergraduate students rated 7 i.e. moderately increased and post graduate students rated 9 which means highly increased. Fig 10 Shows that most of the unemployed respondents rated 6 and 7 i.e. moderately increased and respondents working in the private sector rated 9 and 10 which means highly increased. Fig 11 Shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas rated 6 and 7 i.e. moderately increased and respondents living in rural areas rated 9 and 10 which means highly increased. Semi urban area respondents rated 8 which is also highly increased. Fig 12 Shows that respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years responded neutral that is they don’t have proper answers for this question and respondents belonging to the age group 31-40 years agree that it is a punishable offence. Fig 13. Shows that most of the female respondents agreed that it is a punishable offence. Male respondents disagreed that it is not a punishable offence. Fig 14 Shows that most of the undergraduate respondents and postgraduate respondents agreed that it is a punishable offence. Fig 15 Shows that most of the respondents working in private sectors agreed that it is a punishable offence. Almost equal number of unemployed respondents gave neutral answers. Fig 16 Shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas agreed that it is a punishable offence. Fig 17 shows that respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years responded neither agree nor disagree and respondents belonging to the age group 31 to 40 years strongly agreed that insomnia is one of the effects of cyber bullying. Fig. 18 shows that most of the female respondents neither agree nor disagree and male respondents agreed that insomnia is one of the effects of cyber bullying. Fig 19 shows that equal number of respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years agreed as well as disagrees and respondents of age group 31-40 years agreed that suicidal thoughts are more prone among victims of cyber bully. Fig  20 shows that most of the female respondents agreed and male respondents disagreed that suicidal thoughts is one of the effects of cyber bullying.
 
DISCUSSIONS
Fig 1 shows that most of the people opted for option 3 i.e. victim might turn himself as a bully to vent out his anger. This may be because people usually are mentally disturbed after undergoing a difficult phase of their life being a victim so they tend to bully others. Fig 2 shows that respondents feel that awareness is still needed regarding cyber bullying as people are still not aware of cyber-crimes and its seriousness. Fig3. Females usually have mood swings and hormonal imbalance so this may be the reason for them to choose psychological distress. Males usually are the ones who are more aggressive compared to females. So this may be the reason for them to choose the option victim might turn himself as a bully to vent out the anger. Fig 4.Urban people are more aware of cyber bullying and its causes and most of the people in urban areas usually suffer from mental disturbance like depression etc.. So this may be the reason for them to choose psychological distress. Fig. 5 Shows that most of the females and males chose raising awareness and setting up privacy control is important compared to others. This may be because the awareness among common people about cyber bullying is still less and people tend to take the issue of cyber bullying lightly. Fig 6 Shows that most of the unemployed respondents i.e. studying part of the society and respondents working in private sectors felt that raising awareness and setting up privacy control in all the devices we use is important. This may be because the awareness among common people about cyber bullying is still less and people tend to take the issue of cyber bullying lightly. Fig 7 shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas felt that raising awareness and setting up privacy control in all the devices we use is important. This may be because the awareness among common people about cyber bullying is still less and people tend to take the issue of cyber bullying lightly. Fig 8. Shows that respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years chose 7 which means moderately increased and respondents of age group 21-30 years chose 9 implicating that cyber bullying has increased in recent times. Almost all the respondents rated above 5. Internet usage and cyber bullying are directly proportional. Usage of the internet has increased in recent times hence cyber bullying also increased. Many people try to misuse the technology for their pass time and cause trouble to the other fellow citizens. Fig 9.Shows that most of the undergraduate students rated 7 i.e. moderately increased and post graduate students rated 9 which means highly increased. Internet usage and cyber bullying are directly proportional. Usage of the internet has increased in recent times hence cyber bullying also increased. Many people try to misuse the technology for their pass time and cause trouble to the other fellow citizens. Fig 10 .Shows that most of the unemployed respondents rated 6 and 7 i.e. moderately increased and respondents working in the private sector rated 9 and 10 which means highly increased. Internet usage and cyber bullying are directly proportional. Usage of the internet has increased in recent times hence cyber bullying also increased. Many people try to misuse the technology for their pass time and cause trouble to the other fellow citizens. Fig 11 .Shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas rated 6 and 7 i.e. moderately increased and respondents living in rural areas rated 9 and 10 which means highly increased. Semi urban area respondents rated 8 which are also highly increased. Internet usage and cyber bullying are directly proportional. Usage of the internet has increased in recent times hence cyber bullying also increased. Many people try to misuse the technology for their pass time and cause trouble to the other fellow citizens. Fig 12 Shows that respondents belonging to the age group less than 20 years responded neutral, that is they don’t have proper answers for this question because maybe this age group people are the ones who bully themselves so they responded neutral. Respondents belonging to the age group 31-40 years agreed that it is a punishable offence. This may be because these respondents are middle aged people who are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Fig. 13 shows that most of the female respondents agreed that it is a punishable offence. This may be because these respondents are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Male respondents disagreed that it is not a punishable offence. Past surveys given by various scholars conclude that males are the major bully in these cyber-crimes compared to females so maybe they would have disagreed. Fig 14 Shows that most of the undergraduate respondents and postgraduate respondents agreed that it is a punishable offence. This may be because these respondents are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Fig. 15 shows that most of the respondents working in private sectors agreed that it is a punishable offence. This may be because these respondents are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Almost equal number of unemployed respondents gave neutral answers. Since these people don’t have any jobs and in order to pass their time, they indulge in such activities as matters of fun and joy and later tend to get addicted to it. So this may be the reason for them to give neutral answers since they themselves are involved in this. Fig 16 Shows that most of the respondents living in urban areas agreed that it is a punishable offence. This may be because these respondents are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Fig 17 shows that respondents belonging to the age group 31 to 40 years strongly agreed that insomnia is one of the effects of cyber bullying. This may be because these people are middle aged and hence they are well aware of the aftermath trauma that everyone undergoes after being a victim of some criminal offences. Fig 18 shows that female respondents responded neither agree nor disagree. This may be because females are usually the victims of these online crimes. Some women come forward to talk about their incident in order to create awareness while some don’t. Fig 19 that an equal number of respondents  belonging to the age group less than 20 years agreed as well as disagreed. There are two groups of people, one who end their life after a difficult phase in their life while other strive in hard times and set an example to the others. So some people agreed that suicidal thoughts are more prone among the victims because this age group people are usually victims of these online crimes. Respondents of age group 31-40 years agreed that suicidal thoughts are more prone among victims of cyber bully. This may be because these respondents are well aware of the seriousness of this issue and have a broader view on this issue of cyber bullying. Fig 20 shows that female respondents agreed. This may be because females are usually the victims of these online crimes and they themselves experience the aftermath of these cyber incidents.
CHI- SQUARE ANALYSIS 1
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no association between age and the causes of cyber bullying.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is association between age and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.000. Since the P value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected at any 5% level of significance. So there is an association between age and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
CHI- SQUARE ANALYSIS 2
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no association between gender and the causes of cyber bullying.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is association between gender and the causes of cyber bullying.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.000. Since the P value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected at any 5% level of significance. So there is an association between gender and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
CHI- SQUARE ANALYSIS 3
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no association between respondents with different educational qualifications and the causes of cyber bullying.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is an association between respondents with different educational qualifications and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.000. Since the P value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected at any 5% level of significance. So there is an association between respondents with different educational qualifications and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
CHI- SQUARE ANALYSIS 4
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no association between respondents with different occupations and the causes of cyber bullying.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is an association between respondents with different occupations and the causes of cyber bullying.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.000. Since the P value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected at any 5% level of significance. So there is an association between respondents with different occupations and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
CHI- SQUARE ANALYSIS 5
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no association between respondents with different monthly incomes and the causes of cyber bullying.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is an association between respondents with different monthly incomes and the causes of cyber bullying.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.000. Since the P value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected at any 5% level of significance. So there is an association between respondents with different monthly incomes and the causes of cyber bullying.
 
ONE WAY ANOVA 1
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s age.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is a significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s age.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.035. Since P value <0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. So there is a significant difference between the respondent's opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and the respondent's age.
 
ONE WAY ANOVA 2
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s gender.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is a significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s gender.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.001. Since P value <0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. So there is a significant difference between the respondent's opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and the respondent's gender.
 
ONE WAY ANOVA 3
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s educational institutions.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is a significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondents' educational institutions.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.033. Since P value <0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. So there is a significant difference between the respondent's opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and the respondent's educational institutions.
 
ONE WAY ANOVA 4
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s occupations.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is a significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondents' occupations..
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.334. Since P value <0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. So there is a significant difference between the respondent's opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and the respondent's occupations.
 
ONE WAY ANOVA 5
NULL HYPOTHESIS: There is no significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondent’s monthly incomes.
ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS: There is a significant difference between respondent’s opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and respondents' monthly incomes.
INTERPRETATION: The calculated P value is 0.00. Since P value <0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. So there is a significant difference between the respondent's opinion whether cyber bullying is a severe and punishable crime or not and the respondent's monthly incomes.
 
SUGGESTION
Research on the effects of cyber bullying in India could focus on several key areas. One approach is to investigate the psychological impacts on adolescents, exploring issues like anxiety and depression through surveys and interviews. Cultural factors could be examined to understand regional differences, while studies on the effectiveness of existing anti-cyber bullying programs in schools may reveal gaps that require new strategies. Additionally, research could delve into gender differences in experiences, the correlation between cyber bullying and academic performance, and the effectiveness of India's legal frameworks. Exploring social media platforms' roles and conducting longitudinal studies to track long-term effects on victims could provide further insights. Lastly, assessing community awareness and proposing educational programs could enhance prevention efforts.
 
CONCLUSION
Cyber bullying continues to be a disturbing trend not only among adolescents but also undergraduate students and postgraduate students .Students use the internet as a medium and use it with great frequency in their everyday lives. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of people who have been victimised by cyber bullying. The findings revealed that there is correlation between cyber bullying and academic, social, and emotional development. Through this research, it has been found that there are many ways and means through which an individual commit crimes in cyberspace. The findings of this study are important and useful for social workers to gain insight into the experiences faced by the victims of cyber bullying. Cyber Crimes are an offence and are punishable by laws. It is not the computers that are harming and attacking organisations, instead it is the humans who are exploiting the technology to cause damage. So it is necessary to be aware of these alarming crimes in cyberspace and think before posting anything in the media.
 
REFERENCES
?       Usha Mary Sharma, Seema Ghi Singh, Esther (June 2014) A Study on the Cyber - Crime and Cyber Criminals: A Global Problem. DOI:10.20894/IJWT.104.004.001.003
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?       Ghada M. Abaido (26 Sep 2019) Cyberbullying on social media platforms among university students in the United Arab Emirates. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1669059
?       Hillary Noll (2016) Cyberbullying: Impacting T Cyberbullying: Impacting Today’s Youth. DOI:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.stthomas.edu/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.073
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1 Rosy Kumar, Assistant Professor, Saveetha School of Law, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Email Id:rosykumar24@gmail.com, Contact No: 8098174415
[2] Praveen Anandhan, Reg No:- 132301058, B.A LLB.(Hons) 2nd Year, Saveetha School of Law, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Email Id:praveenanandhan10@gmail.com, Contact No: 8015558755