Aziz Görkem Çetin, Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Brain Hospital, made evaluations about peer bullying in adolescence, especially on social media.
Stating that peer bullying during adolescence mostly occurs in the virtual environment, experts point out that this situation can lead to introversion, depressive mood and self-confidence problems. Experts emphasize that young people exposed to cyberbullying feel worthless and inadequate. Stating that families have important duties in the fight against cyberbullying, experts recommend informing and monitoring the child's use of social media.
Aziz Görkem Çetin, Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital, made evaluations regarding peer bullying, especially on social media during adolescence.
Stating that adolescence is the transition period from childhood to adulthood, Aziz Görkem Çetin said, "Perhaps, from another perspective, it is the period when we say goodbye to our childhood and begin to face reality. If we explain adolescence theoretically, it starts at the ages of 11-13 for girls and 12-14 for boys. During this period, the person may be distant from the family, thinking that he is an individual and that he knows everything best. He gets closer to his friends more."
Be careful against cyberbullying
Stating that especially peer bullying may occur during this period, Aziz Görkem Çetin drew attention to the events that may occur especially in the virtual environment and said the following:
"During adolescence, friends and groups can have destructive effects. During adolescence, difference and uncertainty create intense anxiety and young people can be quite cruel to each other. In order for a behavior to be considered bullying, the action must be intentional and there must be a power imbalance. In our daily lives, we communicate with technological devices through many applications.
One of the places where bullying is intense is internet platforms. Some applications enable communication between young people. Especially individuals in adolescence use social media very often. We can distinguish cyberbullying from traditional bullying as follows; it is anonymous, it happens wherever the person can access the internet, there is no physical interaction and there is no need for power imbalance, there is no one to control the behavior and there is no risk of getting caught. "
Self-esteem issues arise
Stating that it is understood that cyberbullying causes negative consequences on individuals in researches, Aziz Görkem Çetin said, "We can say that people who are exposed to cyberbullying have serious problems with self-confidence and lead to a timid and depressed mood. Cyberbullying individuals usually target people who they think are weak in social life. For this reason, individuals who are bullied feel worthless and inadequate. Individuals exposed to cyberbullying may experience problems such as starting a diet, not going to school, withdrawing, and lack of self-confidence."
They should be allowed to express their feelings
Aziz Görkem Çetin pointed out that children or adolescents may not talk about being bullied and said, "There may be symptoms such as anxiety about going to school, decreased appetite, nightmares, crying. It should be avoided to use expressions that will normalize the situation for the bullied individual. Listen to what happened and start a dialog with open-ended questions. Encourage them to tell their feelings to people they trust when they experience similar problems. Make him/her feel that you understand his/her feelings and that you will help him/her. Also, educate your child and yourself about cyberbullying and control the use of the internet."
Listen to these recommendations for the right approach
Stating that the right approach to individuals experiencing various problems during adolescence is important, Aziz Görkem Çetin made the following suggestions:
- Individuals in adolescence feel the need to distance themselves from their families and get closer to their friends. Parents need to understand that this process is temporary and respect their children.
- It is not appropriate for parents to intervene in children's relationships and prevent them from meeting. Because in this period, the individual is very open to conflict. Therefore, your children's choices should be respected.
- In order for your children to share their problems with you, they should not be afraid of you. We should not confuse setting boundaries in relationships with fear and we should show that we will support our child in every aspect.
- If your child does not want to share their relationship with you, understand this process and do not pressure them to tell you.
- Treat your child with respect so that he/she can think of respect as a criterion in his/her relationships.
- Make your child feel that you trust him/her, do not follow a skeptical attitude.
- Ensure that your child receives sexual education from the right sources.
- Do not underestimate your child's feelings about relationships, seek psychological support if you think they are intense.
These symptoms may indicate peer bullying
Stating that peer bullying can be understood by some symptoms, Aziz Görkem Çetin listed them as follows:
- Unhappiness in the process as an effect of the situation experienced
- Decreased self-confidence
- Deterioration in social relationships
- Reluctance to go to school
- Drop in course grades
- Concerns about being subjected to the same behavior
Aziz Görkem Çetin pointed out the importance of families informing their children about possible dangers in social media use and said, "Families should inform their children about social media use. It is useful to be aware of their profile posts. However, parents should avoid behaviors such as secretly controlling the individual's social media and making restrictive interventions without respect."
Pay attention to these in social media use!
Expert Clinical Psychologist Aziz Görkem Çetin also listed the issues that should be considered in social media use as follows:
- Remind him to share posts in a way that he will not regret later.
- Ensure that he uses the security settings correctly.
- Warn him/her not to add people he/she does not know on social media and not to be friends.
- Make a list of rules for social media use.
- Set limitations on duration and usage.
