Cyberbullying

Presented to:

Atty. Roderick M. Villostas

Legal Research

by:

Arianne Dimaano
Gianina Lalu
Shaun Raphael Nuga

Arellano University

Cyber Bullying: Effectivity of Implementing Laws in

the Philippines
I.

Abstract

Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social

hierarchy, bullying has remained a relevant issue through
the

years.

Techno-logical

bullying,

known

today

as

cyberbullying, has allowed the problem to expand, it has

been engrained in our society and become more elusive, and
even harder to define. Findings indicate that cyberbullying is
becoming more prevalent as students spend an increasing
amount of time using technology that keeps them connected
to people at all hours of the day. There are many different
ways in which cyberbullies reach their victims, including
instant messaging over the Internet, social networking web
sites, text messaging and phone calls to cell phones. There
are different forms of cyberbullying including, but not limited
to, harassment, impersonation, and cyberstalking. It has
been found that there are differences between not only the
prevalence of cyberbullying between males and females but
also the ways in which males and females cyberbully. Like
bullying, cyberbullying is a serious problem which can cause
the victim to feel inadequate and overly self-conscious, along
with the possibility of committing suicide due to being
cyberbullied. There are numerous ways in which schools and
2

parents can prevent cyberbullying and ways in which they

can intervene if it has occurred. This paper illuminates the
background

situation,

current

legal

struggles,

clinical

implications, and potential preventative steps concerning

bullying and cyberbullying alike.

II.

Introduction:
Nowadays, Facebook was stated as one of the most

popular social networking sites in the Philippines. According

to the Asia Digital Marketing Association (ADMA) and the
Internet World statistics, there are over a billion Internet
users in the Asia Pacific region, which amounts to over 46%
of the total Internet users in the world. Identically, the
January 2015 Digital In the Philippines snapshot of We Are
Social shows that in the last four years, Internet access in
the Philippines has grown by 500% with over 44.2 million
users and 90% of them have active social media accounts.
Philippines was also categorized as the second highest
ranking in the Southeast Asia and the 6 th in the whole of
Asia.
Sadly, social media which is part of our everyday life
also becomes a centralized hub for cyber Bullying. According
to Reginald Gonzales ( Social Media as a Channel and its
Implications on Cyber Bullying. DLSU Research Congress
3

2014)

With the continuous increasing number of netizens

today, cyber bullying is no longer an ordinary issue. It is now

raising concerns not only among internet users but as well as
the authorities and even ordinary people.
Legal issues on cyber-bullying are now addressed by
passing laws providing penalties to those people who are
found doing acts of harassment or cyber bullying. This is also
a way to alleviate the abuse of using the social media to
bully other internet users.
Thus, statistics are shockingly revealing that in 2014
the Anti-Cyber Crime Group of the Philippine National Police
reported an increase of 113% of Cybercrime rate involving
the internet and other crime that used the information
communication technology which, unfortunately, does not
include Cyber-Bullying.
Online issues and facts lead this research to dig further
on the effectivity of applicable laws related to cyber-bullying.
What is Cyber Bullying?
It is a common knowledge that bullying happens among
students in schools, employees at workplaces, and the like,
but now the trend goes beyond such areas as the bullies
goes into the internet and preys on anybody whether young
or old.
4

As stated by CAMARINES Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya,

Cyber bullying is one such problem that the advancement in
technology

and

social

media

has

generated.

It

can

potentially affect not only school-aged children, but also any

individual who has access to a mobile phone or the Internet.
As technology has evolved, bullying has increased
through

the use of modern

technology.

Chait (2006)

explained that unlike the traditional form of bullying where

the bullies attack their victims face to face, perpetrators of
cyber bullying have the capability to use all types of
communications technologies to attack others deliberately
and repetitively.
Cyber bullying can involve many different intimidation
tactics, and many are similar to those of traditional bullying.
Like traditional bullying, the most prevalent form of cyber
bullying is name-calling and insults.
Types of Cyber Bullying
As traditional Bullying exists with different forms of verbal
abuse and physical violence, there are also many types of
Cyber-Bullying. The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet
Use, a US based non-government organization, enumerated
in 2009 the types of Cyber-Bullying.

 Flaming Online fight using electronic messages with

angry and vulgar language.
Harassment Repeatedly sending mean or insulting
messages.
Denigration Sending or posting gossip or rumors
about a person to damage his or her reputation or
friendships.

Impersonation Pretending to be someone else and

sending or posting material to get that person in
trouble or danger or to damage a reputation or
friendship.

As Cyber-Bullying progress in the Philippines, a law maker

proposed a bill aiming to define and penalize the crime of
Cyber-Bullying.

Camarines

Sur

Representative

Rolando

Andaya also include the type of Cyber-Bullying Under the

Bill of the Anti-Cyber Bullying Act of 5718 which includes:
Repeated sending of offensive, rude and insulting
message, distributing and belittling information about
the victim;
Posting or sending of offensive photos of the victim,
whether digitally altered or not, or were taken with or
without consent, as long as it has intention to humiliate
and embarrass the victim;
6

 Breaking into an e-mail, social networking or any

electronic account and using the victims virtual identity
to send, upload or distribute embarrassing materials to
or about others, sharing the victims personal or
embarrassing information and sharing it to others and
repeated sending of messages such as threats or harm
or engaging in online activities causing fear on victims
safety.
Traditional Bullying Vs. Cyber Bullying
Each day school children learn valuable skills and
lessons from their teachers as well as through interactions
with their peers. Although school, undoubtedly, is beneficial
to Filipino youths, there are some experiences, such as
bullying, that may negatively affect and stick with these
children for the rest of their lives.
According

to

GALE

Student

Resources,

Traditional

Bullying is any type of bullying that is carried out through a

non-electronic means which includes verbal, physical and
social abuse. All these three involve the harassment of a
victim by an aggressor whose intent is to inflict harm.
Bullying was also defined under Republic Act 10627 or
Anti-Bullying Act as any severe or repeated use by one or
more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression,
7

or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof,

directed at another student that has the effect of actually
causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or
emotional harm or damage to his property; creating a hostile
environment at school for the other student; infringing on
the rights of the other student at school; or materially and
substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly
operation of a school.
Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr also mentioned on one
his interviews that the Department of education (Dep Ed)
submitted a consolidated report on traditional bullying cases
on elementary and high school of both public and private
schools on 2014 under the strict compliance with the
Republic Act 10627 or Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.
This reports documented what was indicated on the
reports. A total of 6,363 cases of bullying in public as well as
private elementary and high schools were recorded in 2014,
up nearly 21 percent versus the 5,236 documented in 2013,
Gullas, a member of the House committee on basic
education, said. (interaksyon.com)
Thus, these laws and reports on traditional bullying is
only centralized to finding out root causes of bullying within
an age bracket. The fact that still remains that the effects of
bullying would still remain on victims for the rest of their life.
8

Cyber Bullying, on the other hand, as mentioned on the

preceding topic was based in modern technology that only
needs interpersonal interaction between the bully and his
victim through modern communication technology.
The progression of bullying from traditional to Cyber
Bullying is often equated in the advancement of our society.
This anonymity makes it easier for the offender to strike
blows against a victim without having to see the victims
physical response. (Donegan 2012)
Nowadays, Cyber-bullying is just a click away. Posting
your negative views through social media on a favourable
political candidate might even cause you threats over the
internet. Even posting photos or videos might start an online
tread of hateful topics throughout the social media world.
As the web cannot inflict any form of physical harm to
the victim compared to that of the traditional type of
bullying, the cyberbullies penetrate their victims by causing
the latter psychological effects that can be far more
devastating as manifested in the following signs like trauma,
depression and worse case, the victims transform to be
bullies

themselves.

(Hontiveros,2015)

In

comparison,

traditional bullying is a violation against ones right based on

physical interaction which may lead to verbal or physical

abuse. Cyber-Bullying is an interpersonal form of bullying

with the intention to humiliate or embarrass the victim.

Nuances of Electronic Communication

Cyber bullying has made its way alongside the progress

and development that modern technology brings. The use of
electronic communication has played a critical role in the
prevalence of cyber bullying. Hence, Massachusetts law
provides the different ways electronic communication has
been exploited to commit Cyber bullying.
First, through the use of any technology or any
electronic communication that involves any transfer of signs,
signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any
nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio,
electromagnetic, photo electronic or photo optical system,
including

but

communication,

not

limited
instant

to

electronic

messages

mail,
or

internet
facsimile

communications aim for insult, abuse or defamation toward

another person. This includes distribution of confidential
digital contents or information to intimidate, embarrass and
cause mental distress towards another person.

10

Secondly, when electronic communication like social

media accounts, are used used for impersonation. Electronic
communication can be exploited for cyber bullying via the
creation of a web page or blog in which the creator assumes
the identity of another person for exploitation of his/her own
personal information. The knowing impersonation of another
person as the author of posted content or messages,
distribution of electronic means of communication or the
posting of material in an electronic medium that may be
accessed by one or more people ultimately directed at
causing

mental

distress,

defamation,

embarrassment,

towards another person.(Kowalski, 2008)

Victims of Cyber Bullying

Technology and the Internet have improved the lives of

people, communication is easier and entertainment can be
achieved in just a few clicks. However, the advent of the
modern world also brings with it adverse effects.
It was shown on Guard Child Org in UK that more than
half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and
about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying. Of
those who admitted they had been bullied, 87 % said it had
happened on Facebook and 19 % was on Twitter.

11

Here in the Philippines, it was shown on GMA News

Online that Eighty percent of teenagers aged 13 to 16 have
been cyber-bullied through social media, according to a 2015
survey by child-care non-profit Stairway Foundation Inc.
While 80% of teenagers are cyber-bullied through social
media, 60% of their counterparts in the 7 to 12 age bracket
suffered the same abuse. The survey also revealed that 30%
of children aged 7 to 12 and 40 percent of 13 to 16 were
aware of peers who endured cyber-bullying.
Filipinos

are

definitely

enjoying

the

perks

that

technology brings. However, the advent of the modern

world also brings with it adverse effects. Although Social
Networking sites such as Twitter & Facebook were created to
bridge the gaps between people, they have been an ideal,
virtual playground for cyberbullies.
The impact of cyber-bullying among victims finds that
the construct is a repeated behavior that offends, causes
embarrassment, lowers self-esteem, sabotages, intimidates,
and

negatively

professional,

affects

personal

an

and

individuals

social

life

academic,

(Mesch,

2009).

Dempsey, Sulkowski, Nicols, and Storch (2009) argue that

there is a significant relationship between cyber victimization
and problems with psychosocial adjustment.

12

Paula Jaime Salvosa also known as AMALAYER, was

mobbed by netizens in 2012 when someone posted her
video on YouTube showing her alleged harassment on a
female security guard at LRT-2 Santolan. She also opted not
to file charges on the person who uploaded her video or
those people who bullied her.
I had apprehensions if I could still graduate. I was not
able to go to school for two months. How will they accept my
job application if they see my name? Actually, I happened to
me, not just once, twice, trice. Couple of times. They did not
accept me in the company because they knew who I was,
was stated by Salvosa during an interview with ABS-CBN
News.
Also, we often hear celebrities like Sarah Geronimo
being victims of cyberbullying. Celebrities are often the
victims of identity theft as people use their names and
pictures to create an account for their personal use.
Another cyber bullying incident in the Philippines was
about the 27 year old Raymond Malinay who was a Face
book fanatic, who was usually updating his statuses, his
pictures and whatever he is doing, until one day he found
that he was hacked and his picture was being well edited
and published as if it was stated from the AIDS society of

13

Philippines saying that he has HIV, and he was wanted for

spreading the deadly disease.
A recent concern of Cyber Bullying was also raised by
Environmentalist

and

Human

Rights

defender

Ayeen

Karunungan who was prompted to file a case after she

receive threats on social media because of her statements
condemning the position of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on the
use of coal as well as on allegations of human rights abuses
against him.
As of today, cases were just reported to the Anti-Cyber
Crime Group of the Philippine National Police. Thus, their
2015 Cyber Crime statistics does not include Cyber Bullying
under their resolved cases.
Effects of Cyber bullying
As communication methods evolve and change in the
Philippines, there are many positive and negative effects on
the way our society communicates. Modern communication
like facebook, twitter and viber has given us the ability to
reach one another easily, at the touch of a button. On the
downside, modern communication now almost exclusively
uses online technology, which can foster destructive or
harmful behaviors. An example of this is cyber bullying.
Bullying has always been an issue, but now that it has taken

14

the form of online harassment, the torment never stops for

the bullied.
Cyber bullying, especially online, forces the bullied to
partake in behavior that further isolates them. The Spiral of
Silence Theory says that people tend to remain silent when
they fear that their views do not lie with the majority
opinion. The theory states that people remain silent for two
main reasons: the fear that they will be rejected and the fear
that they will be isolated. The longer people remain silent,
the more they spiral into a state of total silence, in which
they will never voice their opinion.

Spiral of Silence Theory

15

Originally

proposed

by

German

political

scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, Spiral of silence

is the term meant to refer to the tendence of people to
remain silent when they feel that their views are in
opposition to the majority view on a subject.
Cyber bullying can take many shapes and forms in our
modern technological era. According to stopbullying.gov,
cyber bullying is bullying that takes place on an electronic
device. Examples of cyber bullying include, malicious text
messages or emails, gossip sent on social media devices,
posting humiliating pictures or fake profiles. Those who are
bullied are more likely to turn to dangerous behaviors to
cope with the feeling of being rejected and teased.
The Spiral of Silence Theory helps explain why students
feel that they cannot speak up when they are being bullied.
This theory applied to bullying in the past, but it is even
more relevant now that communication has evolved to
predominantly online methods. The bullied will continue to
fall deeper into the spiral as they feel more and more
isolated by their peers. Although the statistics have changed
in favor of the bullied, we still have a way to go to stop it
altogether and end the silence.
Laws applicable to cyber bullying

16

In the Philippines, it was said that the first law the

government took seriously about cyber bullying was when
the Senator Sotto complained about being cyber bullied, this
law aimed mainly at prosecuting cyber bullies and making
sure that there is a free flow of unfettered, and nondemoralizing idea between different net citizens in the
country.

Bullying Act 2012

After an Anti-bullying movement in the 2000s and
2010s gained popularity in the United States and United
Kingdom, the Charity Act Against Bullying was formed in the
United Kingdom in 2003, and National Bullying Prevention
Month was declared in the United States in 2006.
In the Philippines, the House of Representatives has
approved a bill requiring all elementary and secondary
schools to adopt anti-bullying policies. House Bill 5496, the
Anti-Bullying

Act

of

2012,

seeks

to

promote

greater

awareness of the impact of bullying and how it can be

prevented.
The bill requires that anti-bullying policies be included
in the schools student and employee handbook; details of
the policies should be posted in school websites and school
walls; schools shall submit their anti-bullying policies to the
17

Department of Education (DepEd) within six months upon

effectivity of the law; bullying incidents in schools must be
reported to the division superintendents, who in turn shall
report to the Education Secretary; and the DepEd must
submit a report on bullying incidents to the appropriate
congressional committee and impose sanctions on school
administrators who do not implement anti-bullying policies.
Bullying is now the number one non-academic issue
that most educators face, and is one of the top concerns of
many parents. Defined as an act of repeated aggressive
behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person either
emotionally, verbally, or physically, bullying is characterized
by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power
over another person. Bullies may behave this way out of
jealousy or because they themselves are bullied. When they
leave school, they will most likely carry on their bullying in
the workplace.
With the approval of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2012, this
year has started just right, providing relief for the millions of
students who experience bullying in school. It is hoped that
the Anti-Bullying Act of 2012 will help schools create an
environment where children can develop their full potentials
with suffering bullying from others.

18

Also, Sec. 5 of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2012 prohibits

Bullying through the use of technology or an electronic
device or other forms of media owned, leased or used by a
school.
As a penalty, if an act of bullying or cyber-bullying was
reported there will be an intervention program being
administered by the Department Intervention.
Hence, If the bullying incident or retaliation resulted in
serious physical injuries or death, the case shall be dealt
with in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9344
or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, as amended, and
its Implementing Rules and Regulations, in connection with
other applicable laws, as may be warranted by the
circumstances attendant to the bullying incident.

Cyber Crime act 2012

The Republic

Act

No.

10175,

also

known

as

the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, is an act that defines

and punishes cybercrime to prevent and suppress its
proliferation. It aims to effectively prevent and combat
misuse,

abuse

facilitating

and

their

illegal

detection,

access

of

the

investigation,

Internet by
arrest

and

prosecution at both the domestic and international levels,

and

by

providing

arrangements
19

for

fast

and

reliable

international cooperation. To formulate and implement a

national cyber security plan, an Anti-Cybercrime Group
(ACG) was created under the administrative supervision of
the Office of the President.
There has been a lot of discussions observed days
subsequent to the promulgation of Republic Act 10175, or
the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, on 12 September
2012.

There

are

some

who

assail

the

law

to

be

unconstitutional as it acts as a prior restraint to freedom of

speech, or that it provides undue expanded interference of
private

activities

in

the

Internet

by

the

Philippine

Government, among others.

At a PTV4 Forum on Anti-Cybercrime Law, Department
of Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy explained that
laws on cybercrime are considered as the 3rd building block
of legislations necessary to protect the people from crimes
committed in cyberspace and use of ICT.
Under Section 4 of Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,
the law categorized sixteen types of cybercrime which
includes, illegal acces, illegal interception, data interference,
system interference, misuses of device, cyber-squatting,
computer-related forgery, computer-related fraud, computer
related identity theft , cyber-sex, child pornography, libel,
aiding or abetting in the commission of cybercrime, attempt
20

in the commission of cybercrime and corporate liability.

If

proven, all of these crimes are penalized under Section 8

either by imprisonment or fine depending on the degree of
crime committed.
As Cyberbullying is related to cybercrime, one of the
contentious issue is Libel under Section 4(c)(4), RA 10175. It
was defined as Unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined
in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended
committed through a computer system or any other similar
means which may be devised in the future. Revised Penal
Code Art. 355 states Libel means by writings or similar
means. A libel committed by means of writing, printing,
lithography,

engraving,

radio,

phonograph,

painting,

theatrical exhibition, cinematographic exhibition, or any

similar means, shall be punished by prision correctional in its
minimum and medium periods or a fine ranging from 200 to
6,000 pesos, or both, in addition to the civil action which
may be brought by the offended party. The Cybercrime
Prevention Act strengthened libel in terms of penalty
provisions.
The electronic counterpart of libel has been recognized
since the year 2000 when the E-Commerce Law was passed.
The E-Commerce Law empowered all existing laws to
recognize its electronic counterpart whether commercial or
not in nature.
21

Under the new law, the punishment for libel will not be
limited to the original source of the content. So under its
wide set of parameters, everyone who shows agreement
with and shares the content in question like tweets, status
updates, photos, videos, etc. could be sued for libel.
Penalties include prison time of up to 12 years, and a
maximum fine of one million Philippine pesos for each
incident

Cyber Bullying act 2015

A bill has been filed at the House of Representatives
defining and penalizing cyber-bullying, or the act of
posting rude, offensive or insulting messages against the
victim on the Internet.
Under the proposed bill, Cyber-bullying was defined as
acts of cruelty committed using the Internet or any form of
electronic media or technology that has the effect of
stripping ones dignity or causing reasonable fear or physical
or emotional harm.
An offensive act includes (1) repeatedly sending
offensive, rude and insulting message; (2) distributing
derogatory information about the victim; posting or sending
offensive photos of the victim, whether these are digitally
altered or not, or were taken with or without consent, with
22

the intention to humiliate and embarrass the victim;

(3)

breaking into an email, social networking or any electronic

account and using the victims virtual identity to send,
upload or distribute embarrassing materials to or about
others; (4) sharing the victims personal information or any
embarrassing

information,

or

tricking

the

victim

into

revealing personal or embarrassing information and sharing

it to others; and (4) repeatedly sending messages that
include threats of harm or engaging in online activities that
cause fear on the victims safety.
Under House Bill 5718, or the proposed Anti CyberBullying Act of 2015, cyber-bullies shall face a penalty of
fines ranging from P50,000 to P100,000, or imprisonment
between six months and six years, or both, at the discretion
of the court.
The

measure

Information

and

provides

that

Communications

the

Commission

Technology

on

(CICT),

Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Interior

and Local Government (DILG) shall jointly formulate the
necessary rules and regulations within ninety (90) days from
approval of the Act for its effective implementation.
HB 5718 has been referred to the Committee on
Information Communication Technology chaired by Rep. Joel

23

Roy R. Duavit (1st District, Rizal) for proper consideration

and action. (PNA)
Hence, this house bill is still in the process to becoming
a law. Most cases under Cyberbullying are still unresolved
and being taken for granted. Reports were filled and
investigations were made but no actions were created.

What to do when being (Cyber) Bullied

In various parts of the world, many governments are
acting to criminalise cyberbullying. There are also efforts to
do the same here in the Philippines. Thus, there as still
options on what you can do to stop Cyber-Bullying.
Nobullying.com discussed what to do when someone is
being Cyber-Bullied. In addition to privacy settings the victim
can also:

Unfriend anyone who posts negative posts and is

harassing them

Block anyone who continues to send messages

Report the individual to the social media site

Avoid responding to messages from a bully

Let an adult know what is happening

24

Keep records of the behavior for proof, if needed

Sonnie Santos, the blog author of AskSonnie also includes

seeking of professional, police and/or legal help when
necessary.
Significance of the Study
The purpose of this study is to determine how past and
current laws effectively dealt with cyber bullying in the
Philippines. This study will also investigate how an issue
about cyber-bullying was handled by the government and to
identify if changes are still needed on the current laws that
we have. In addition, this study will also explore possible
solutions to address the increasing cyber bullying rate in the
Philippines.
METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research methodology used
for this study and how it has guided the data collection,
analysis and development of theory.
The purpose of this research is to determine how past
and current laws effectively deal with cyber-bullying in the
Philippines and to identify changes that are needed on the
current laws to further address the increasing cyber-bullying
rate in the Philippines. The purposes of this chapter are to
(1) describe the research methodology of this study, (2)
25

describe the procedures in collecting the data and (3)

explain the procedures used to analyze the data.
Research Methodology
The theoretical type of research was utilized to gather
data regarding the effectiveness of implementing laws on
cyber-bullying

in

the

Philippines.

Theoretical

research

generally employs findings from existing studies to come up

with

new

ideas

explanations.

It

by

analyzing

typically

existing

involves

theories

analysis

of

and

mostly

published works like researching through archives of public

libraries, court rooms and published academic journals.
Data Gathering Procedures
The researchers of this study will gather data from
secondary data sources. Secondary data refer to data
collected by someone else other than the researchers of this
study themselves. These data are obtained from published
works,

censuses,

information

collected

by

government

departments, organizational records and data that were

previously collected for other research purposes.
Online news, journals, legislative materials, books and
published researches are the main data sources utilized.
Since internet sources are not always very accurate, the
researchers made sure to extract data only from reliable
26

websites such as verified online news portals of GMA, ABSCBN, TV5, and Inquirer News, websites of government offices
such as the Philippine National Police, and validated online
journals such as Asian Journal. Legislative materials are also
readily available on the internet such as from websites like
LawPhil.net, ChanRobles.com, etc. Books and published
researches were mostly obtained from the school library.
Treatment of Data
After the data were collected, these will be organized
and analyzed. From these, the researchers will then generate
new and original insights on the effectiveness of cyberbullying laws implemented in the Philippines. These data will
be summarized and categorized to answer the problems
identified in the purposes of this study, specifically, how past
and current laws effectively deal with cyber-bullying in the
Philippines and the changes that are needed on the current
laws to further address the increasing cyber-bullying rate in
the Philippines.

IV.

Results

Incidence of Cyber Bullying:

Philippine stats*
Age and gender:
27

There were no significant differences related simply to age.

Girls were significantly more likely to be cyberbullied,
especially by text messages and phone calls, than boys. A
significant interaction between age and gender was found in
relation to the effects of email bullying, and the use of
instant
between

messaging,

which

showed contrasting

boys of different

age

groups.

opinions

Awareness

of

cyberbullying occurring:
Students responses differed concerning awareness of each
subtype of cyberbullying occurring in school or among their
friends.

Students

were

most

aware

of

bullying

by

picture/video clips (46% knew of this taking place), followed

by phone calls (37%) and text messaging (29%). The other
methods were slightly less well known, in particular chat
room bullying, which just 12% were aware of happening.
Perceived impact of cyberbullying:
Picture/video clip and Phone call were perceived to have
more impact on the victim than traditional forms of bullying.
Website and Text message bullying were rated as being
about equal in impact to traditional bullying
Chat room, Instant messaging and Email bullying bullying
were believed to have less of an impact than traditional
forms of bullying.
The nature of cyberbullying, and who is told:
28

Most cyberbullying is reported as coming from one or a few

students,

in

the

same

class

or

year

group.

Most

cyberbullying lasts only a week or so, but some lasts much

longer, especially phone call bullying. A substantial minority
(around one-third) of victims have told nobody about it.
The impact of cyberbullying among victims finds that the
construct is a repeated behavior that offends, causes
embarrassment, lowers self-esteem, sabotages, intimidates,
and

negatively

affects

an

individuals

academic,

professional, personal and social life.

The consequences of cyberbullying may be more severe
than those of traditional bullying because verbal and
psychological bullying may have more negative long-term
effects. The basis for this severity seems to be related to the
potential for a wide-scale audience that may have access to
incidences of cyberbullying and the power of the written
word. Because negative comments, threats, and accusations
written on web sites, emails, chat rooms, and other forms of
media are permanent and visible to many, they may be
looked at repeatedly by the victim and their peers causing
victims to feel that there is no escape from the abuse.
CYBER BULLYING IN SCHOOL YARD
29

Just as any acts of violence cyber bullying is equally

disruptive and threatening. In fact, cyber bullying can be
worse than the traditional school yard variety because a
cyber bully can remain anonymous by posting unsigned
attacks on his/her online social network. The anonymity of
the Internet has a way of bringing out the harsh, judgmental
streak in strangers who would never belittle another in
person.
Victims of cyber bullying are literally humiliated in a
worldwide venue which can occur 24 hours a day. When
bullied in this fashion, whether text or image, it is virtually
impossible to get everything removed from cyber space.
"The bully [is] spreading information on the Internet for
anyone to see and that can affect someone's social life,
especially how other kids at school view them. It can also
affect the person academically because their lack of
confidence will prevent them from contributing and asking
questions in class. It has been reported that approximately
61% or more of the teenagers have a social network site and
much of the cyber bulling occurs totally off-campus as sites
such as TWITTER, or Facebook; and with no adult supervision
or control. It is at sites such as these where hate messages
appear, private emails are forwarded, embarrassing photos
captured with cell phones are posted, and embarrassing
polls are established.
30

Cyberbullying

on

Social

Media

Linked

to

Teen

Depression
Cyberbullying on social media is linked to depression in
teenagers, according to new research that analyzed multiple
studies of the online phenomenon. Victimization of young
people online has received an increasing level of scrutiny,
particularly

after

series

of

high-profile

suicides

of

teenagers who were reportedly bullied on various social

networks. In 2013, for example, a spate of suicides was
linked to the social network where users can ask each other
questions anonymously. Twitter, likewise, announced plans in
April to filter out abusive tweets and suspend bullying users.
Social media use is hugely common among teenagers, but
the health effects of cyberbullying on social media sites is
largely unknown. Regular, face-to-face bullying during the
teen years may double the risk of depression in adulthood,
and bullying's effects can be as bad or worse than child
abuse, studies show.
A depressing effect:
Through studies on cyberbullying and social media, finding
36 that investigated the effects of cyberbullying on health in
teens ages 12 to 18. Although the studies examined different
31

health outcomes and sometimes defined cyberbullying

differently, one finding stood out.
There were consistent associations between exposure to
cyberbullying and increased likelihood of Depression
V.

Discussion
The researcher, through the focus interview analysis,

has come up with the following conclusions: Social media

caused cyber bullying to exist. As a tool originally designed
for communication purposes, it has been abusively used by
people whose aim is to gratify their selves by causing harm
or damage to other people.
Social media possess distinct characteristics that make
it a gratifying tool for cyber bullies. These gratifying
characteristics includes the following: real time updating,
wide spread dissemination of information, a rallying point for
people, anonymity, instantaneousness, ability to reach wide
audience, cheap, connected to power dynamics, information
posted in social media has a tendency to go viral, it allows
other social network users to respond or generate feedbacks,
it builds up and can generate support from others, cyber
bullies are assured of the impact, and it is very empowering.

32

Preventing the cases of cyber bullies requires certain

measures to avoid the possible damages. First is to impose
self-discipline among social media users. When creating a
social

media

account

users

should

have

thorough

understanding on pros and cons, its use, features, purpose,

capabilities and possible effects. Propagating social media
literacy campaigns is also one way to address the issue.
Cyber bullying happens because of lack of knowledge. If
social media users will have thorough understanding of
social media, the ill and damaging effects of cyber bullying
can be avoided.
Understanding cyber security should also be a goal of
all social media users. With easy access to information, users
should learn how to safeguard personal information that they
upload in their social media accounts. This information can
be used against them by the perpetrators of online bullying.
Lastly, reporting the case to the authorities should be done
especially if the acts already pose a threat to the life and
liberty of the victim. Social media is a tool for both good and
bad. If cyber bullies can use it to cause harm to others, it can
also be used as a tool for addressing bullying in the same
manner cyber bullies use it.
Based on the past and current laws that we have,
Cyber-bullying is still one of the most unresolved crime in the
33

Philippines. As stated under the Anti-Cyber Crime Group

(ACG) resports, 1,098 cases were reported in 2015 without
any resolution. (ACG Annual Report, 2015) the fact that still
remains is the growing cases of Cyber bullying in the country
without any resolution.
Also, netizens should learn and be aware on using the
internet properly; they should be oriented on the benefits as
well as the consequences of using the internet. As stated
under Art 3 of the Civil Code of the Philippines, Ignorance of
the law excuses no one from compliance therewith.

34

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38