A universal definition of what constitutes cyberbullying would go a long way in determining how to combat it.
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Cyberbullying is a complex issue but it has emerged to become a significant issue for Tasmania’s young people, the Youth Network of Tasmania says.
YNOT is the state’s peak advocacy body that represents young people and YNOT executive officer Tania Hunt said cyberbullying was one of the big button issues they were tackling.
"Cyberbullying is a significant social issue; it can have profound impacts on young people,” she said.
However, despite the emergent issue, Ms Hunt said YNOT did not support the state government’s recent move to change the Criminal Code to criminalise cyberbullying in Tasmania.
Ms Hunt said YNOT did not support the proposed legislation changes for a number of reasons.
She said there was little scientific evidence on the impact of criminalising this behaviour and wanted to see some fact-based research that showed criminalising the behaviour lead to a reduction in instances.
In addition, the work being done in schools to combat cyberbullying was still “in its infancy” so she said YNOT did not support changes to the Criminal Code that may impact these programs.
Finally, she said the organisation wanted a clearer understanding of what the changes may entail and that there was still a lot of ambiguity over definitions.
“The definition of a bully in the proposed changes is not clear,” she said.
Ms Hunt said YNOT would be drafting a submission against the proposal to the government.
The proposed changes are open to public comment.
There is a value in a universal definition because it would help us to be able to measure our prevention response.
- Youth Network of Tasmania executive officer Tania Hunt
The changes were announced on December 10.
“There is a value in a universal definition because it would help us to be able to measure our prevention response,” she said.
“But it needs to be a consistent definition.”
The call for a consistent definition of cyberbullying was supported by Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s advocacy manager Stephen Bendle.
“Universal definitions are important. We accept the definition of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner that Cyberbullying is the use of technology to bully a person or group with the intent to hurt them socially, psychologically or even physically," he said.
Ms Hunt said cyberbullying in all its forms could result in poor mental health outcomes and can have a profound impact on a person’s confidence.
However, she said the group did not support the criminalisation of it but did support moves to combat the issue in schools and for adults.
“Unlike face-to-face bullying, there is the potential for cyberbullying to reach a wider group of people and stigmatise the person being bullied,” she said.
“It is also difficult to remove content that has been posted online.”
The Tasmanian Government has moved to amend the Criminal Code to criminalise cyberbullying.
Draft amendments are available for public comment on the Department of Justice website.
The eSafety Office has referred more than 6000 young people to the Kids Helpline or mental health support by online chat or by phone, and have developed a wellbeing directory for easy access to mental health organisations.
The eSafety Office’s world-first cyberbullying reporting service for children works with social media platforms to have harmful content quickly removed, preventing escalation of the impact.
Any young person under the age of 18, or an adult authorised by the young person, can report cyberbullying online.
It can also provide educational resources for parents and carers, to help guide their children.
If you need help contact the kids' helpline on 1800 55 1800 or go online to www.kidshelpline.com.au