85% Indian Children Experience Cyberbullying, Highest Globally: Report

McAfee Corp., a global corporation in online protection, released India-specific findings ahead of the publication of its global report titled ‘Cyberbullying in Plain Sight’. The McAfee Cyberbullying Report, a ten-country survey including India, uncovered several new and consequential trends regarding cyberbullying including the types of bullying being reported, data around who is the perpetrator and victim of bullying online, and the tensions between how parents and children define cyberbullying activity. This survey also uncovered the startling fact that many children take part in cyberbullying, often without realizing their behaviour for what it is, while parents struggle to keep up.

Leading amongst all other nations, 85 per cent of Indian children reported being cyberbullied as well as having cyberbullied someone else at rates well over twice the international average. According to Indian parents, 42 per cent of children have been the target of racist cyberbullying, strikingly 14 per cent higher than the rest of the world at 28 per cent. Extreme forms of cyberbullying reported besides racism include trolling (36 per cent), personal attacks (29 per cent), sexual harassment (30 per cent), the threat of personal harm (28 per cent) and doxing (23 per cent), all of these at almost double the global average. India also reported prominent acts of cyberbullying such as spreading false rumours at 39 per cent, being excluded from groups and conversations at 35 per cent and name calling at 34 per cent. Indian children witness and experience maximum cyberbullying on almost every social media and messaging platform. 45 per cent of Indian children said they hide their cyberbullying experiences from parents, perhaps due to the relative absence of conversation.

McAfee’s 2022 Cyberbullying in Plain Sight Report

This study aims to further McAfee’s commitment to helping connected families stay not only safe but also to educate them about behaviours that could put their families at risk for online severe threats. It follows McAfee’s Global Connected Family Study, which was released earlier this year and revealed cyberbullying among children was one of the biggest vulnerabilities that families face today. The new McAfee Cyberbullying Report aimed at fully understanding the extent, ways and forms in which children face cyberbullying and highlight gaps in how parents manage these experiences.

In India, four key themes emerged:

1. Indian Children - the Highest Rate of Being Cyberbullied, and of Being the Cyberbully, in the World: 3 out of 4 children admitted to engaging in at least one activity that could be described as cyberbullying, compared to less than half of children elsewhere who admitted to such activities.

• Leading all other nations, 85 per cent of Indian children said they’ve been cyberbullied.
• Indian children say that they’ve cyberbullied someone else at rates well over twice the international average.
• 45 per cent said they cyberbullied a stranger, compared to 17 per cent worldwide—and 48 per cent said they cyberbullied someone they know, versus 21 per cent of children in other countries.
• The top three forms of cyberbullying reported in India were spreading false rumors at 39 per cent, being excluded from groups/ conversations at 35 per cent and name calling at 34 per cent.

2. Indian Children Face the Most Extreme Forms of Cyberbullying at the Highest Rates: Children report high rates of cyberbullying in its most severe forms including racism, sexual harassment, and threats of physical harm.

• More than 1 in 4 kids globally face racist behaviour online, and concerningly, 22 per cent of kids as young as 10 years old are facing it around the world.
• Across all nations surveyed, India reports the highest rate of racist cyberbullying in the world. According to parents, 42 per cent of Indian children have been the target of racist cyberbullying, a full 14 per cent higher than the rest of the world at 28 per cent.
• Children in India also report among the highest rates of cyberbullying in its other most severe forms, often at twice the rate compared to other children. This includes:
  • Trolling (antagonistic attacks) at 36 per cent versus 19 per cent worldwide.
  • Personal attacks at 29 per cent versus 16 per cent worldwide.
  • Sexual harassment at 30 per cent versus 15 per cent worldwide.
  • Young girls in India see some of the highest rates internationally, with girls 10 to 14 at 32 per cent and girls 15 to 16 at 34 per cent.
  • Threat of personal harm at 28 per cent versus 13 per cent worldwide.
  • Young girls in India see some of the highest rates internationally, with girls 10 to 14 at 32 per cent and girls 15 to 16 at 34 per cent. However, this figure drops significantly at ages 17 to 18, down to 21 per cent.
  • Doxing (publishing private information without consent) at 23 per cent versus 9 per cent worldwide.

3. Indian children experience the highest rates of cyberbullying on almost every social media and messaging platform:

• Indian children reported cyberbullying up to 1.5 times more than children in other countries across fourteen surveyed platforms, ranging from Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and WhatsApp. The one exception is TikTok, which remains banned in India.
• Indian children said they are more likely to be cyberbullied by someone they know at 66 per cent compared to 57 per cent elsewhere.
• Indian children said that they are more likely to be cyberbullied by strangers compared to other children around the world, at 70 per cent in India versus 45 per cent worldwide.

4. Indian parents harbour the highest concerns yet speak with children less about them. Children hide cyberbullying from parents:

• When asked how they addressed cyberbullying with their children, only 48 per cent said they turned to the conversation—well below the international average of 64 per cent.
• Indian parents said they were far more likely to address cyberbullying by taking actions that involve resources outside of the household. This includes speaking with school officials (61 per cent), coaches and camp counselors (51 per cent), and changing schools (25 per cent), all up to twice the international rate.
• Perhaps due to the relative absence of conversation, 45 per cent of Indian children say that they hide their cyberbullying experiences from their parents, compared to just 25 per cent of children globally.
• India children reported that they are more likely to address cyberbullying themselves. Nearly 3 out of 5 (58 per cent) children said that they have deleted a social media account to avoid cyberbullying, versus the 33 per cent global average—and 87 per cent said they talk to their friends about cyberbullying, which is 25 per cent above the international figure of 62 per cent.

What to Do When Your Child Faces Cyberbullying:

• Turn to experts – reach out to counsellors, consultants or your local organizations to gather resources and knowledge about the mental health effects of bullying on children.
• Create an environment of open and honest communication within your connected family. Demonstrate to your children that you understand these experiences can happen online, and that you will serve as a source of support and protection in their time of need.
• Produce a family plan in the event of cyberbullying. Unfortunately, cyberbullying can occur to any child with a digital presence - ensure your family has a plan in place that has been communicated to the children themselves who experience life online and are at risk.
• Educate yourself and your children on what it really means to cyberbully – relay the message that making a joke at someone else’s expense or name calling online are types of bullying that need to and understand that today’s definition of cyberbullying is evolving.
• Take action to protect your connected family. McAfee’s family plan includes parental controls to help protect your children from inappropriate online behaviour, apps, and content and build good digital habits

Survey Methodology 

The research was conducted between June 15 – July 5, 2022, by market research company MSI-ACI via email inviting parents of children between the ages of 10 – 18 to complete an online questionnaire. In total 11,687 parents and their children completed the survey from 10 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. The parents were asked if their children between the ages of 10 – 18 years old were available to complete a survey. If yes, the parent was asked to complete a few questions before handing the survey to their child.