Dark side of the screen: Cyberbullying's crushing effects on mental health

Guwahati, Sept 28: It was September 15 and Supriya Borgohain (name changed), a Guwahati-based journalist, woke up to the incessant ringing of her phone. Confused, she opened her eyes to find her device flooded with countless messages and missed calls. Baffled by the early-morning urgency, she quickly began scrolling through her social media apps.

“Nearly all the messages were from friends, asking about some morphed pictures that had been shared online. Someone had posted vulgar comments about me on a friend’s Instagram reel that featured us together. The same anonymous account then sent me obscene direct messages, including morphed nude videos, and threatened to make the video go viral," she recounted.

It didn’t take long for Supriya to realise she had become a victim of cyberbullying. Sharing her ordeal, she said, "When I saw the fake Instagram account threatening to share morphed nude videos and send them to my friends, I was overwhelmed. My mind raced with questions—how do I handle this? What will people think? Will my friends believe me? The emotional distress was immediate.”

In the face of the adversity, she remained composed and filed an FIR at Chandmari Police Station, which was later transferred to the Cyber Police Station at Pan Bazar. “I took immediate action by filing an FIR against the fake account,” she said.

Assam, like the rest of the world, is grappling with the menacing threat of cyberbullying, which in today’s digital age, has emerged as a pervasive and insidious problem.

With the rapid growth of internet penetration, cases of online harassment and bullying have increased, leaving many, particularly children and teenagers, in the mercy of cyber criminals.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cybercrime cases in Assam surged from 1,733 in 2022 to 7,621 in 2023. Despite this spike, the state’s conviction rate remains alarmingly low at just over 4%. This highlights the scale of the problem and the urgent need for a more effective response to combat this growing menace.

Though the state police have ramped up efforts—whether by setting up the Cyber Crime Cells at the CID Headquarters in Ulubari and others or launching the Cyber Forensic Lab cum Training Centre in 2021—cases are surging at an unprecedented rate.

An official in the Cyber Police Department, Ulubari, informed that pressing charges under the sections of the IT Act is a “complex” affair as it depends on the FIR lodged by the victim. “There are various factors - whether the offender was known to the victim, intention behind committing the crime, among others,” said the official.

However, it’s a given that cybercrimes like cyberbullying can severly affect victims’ mental health - with some seeking professional help, while others resort to extreme measures.

Kangkana Hazarika, Psychologist and Outreach Associate (Aditya Birla Education Trust), explained that people targeted by cyberbullying often experience anxiety about what will happen next, fear of engaging online, and embarrassment about why this has happened to them.

"Thoughts like ‘I am not a good person’ and ‘people won’t perceive me the same way’ are common. These are the short-term effects that impact victims," Hazarika said. She went on to add that cyberbullying can have a far more severe impact than online financial fraud. “It affects more adversely if the offender is acquainted with the victim,” she added.

Hazarika further highlighted the long-term effects, including chronic stress, depression, and social isolation.

“The psychological impact varies from person to person. Some may develop suicidal tendencies, while others may brush it off, thinking, ‘it’s no big deal, it happens in the digital age’. If the individual is vulnerable, they might have suicidal thoughts or become aggressive. However, those who are mentally strong tend to seek help when necessary,” she added.

Supriya believes that the first step towards mitigating the menace is strengthening of cyber laws.

“We need to increase accountability and support victims. It’s vital to raise awareness through cybercrime reporting portals, women’s rights organisations, and social media platforms, while local authorities push for stricter regulations,” she concludes.