Cyber-Bullying Trends Using Social Media Platform: An

Analysis through Malaysian Perspectives

Mohd Arsad Johanis1a

, Amirul Ridzuan Abu Bakar2

and Fauziah Ismai1

1School of Human Development and Technocommunication (iKOM), Universiti

Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)

2Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering

Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)

amohdarsad@unimap.edu.my

Abstract. In modern era, existing technologies have gone through several phases of innovation

and development in line with today's demand. These changes in positive manners facilitate and

ease us in many things that were previously thought difficult to solve. As these technologies

progress, social media has emerged as one of many preferable platforms of communication in

today’s society. However, in the light of today's obsession with social media, society

particularly tends to apprehends in negative cultures such as cyberbullying. In the past,

bullying behavior occurred only at certain ages in certain places such as among teenagers,

women, at work or school. At that time bullying could be seen either physically or verbally

compared to today’s approach attributed significantly with the use of social media due to the

modernization of technologies. Many psychoanalysis issues resulting from these irresponsible

individuals throwing words at the cyberbullying victims are becoming a millennial disease.

Evidences prove that there is no discrimination in cyberbullying as it applies to all individuals

regardless of their status and background. Hence, it is time for the government to intervene and

address this issues arising from the act of bullying.

Keywords: Cyberbullying, Psychology, Society, Technology and Social Media

1. Introduction

Nowadays, technologies have evolved significantly in influencing human daily lifestyle (Johanssen,

2019). It is no doubt that most member of the society are exposed directly or indirectly with the

evolving era, and eventually promotes positive impact in everyday chores as it becomes easier and
faster to solve with the convenience of technology. In addition, distance, time and cost are much
more

convenient to handle in today’s civilization compared to previous era with the help of technology.
For

example, it is estimated that at least one smartphone is owned by a person, boosting the capability
to

communicate through voice or video, benefitting in many aspects. Though this sophisticated

technology brings benefit, it is also suggested that a person may not be able to perform well without

the existence of a smartphone (Johanssen, 2019).

Communication network are expanding encouraging the use of new technology to communicated

in today’s civilization as shown by most people having access to wireless local area networking

(WIFI) either at home or on their smartphones (Rashid, 2016). In addition, researchers also point out

that the presence of new applications aimed at connecting people such as WhatsApp’s, Facebook,

JICETS 2019

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doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/2/022077

Twitter, Instagram and many other downloadable applications from various sources has further

accelerated the use of technology regarding social media.

Though most users enjoy this expanding communication network technologies, there are some who

take advantage implying negativity to hurt other users emotionally and psychologically using the

world wide webs and social media platforms as new act of bullying (Kipper & Ramey, 2013). This

new trend of bullying is now known as cyber bullying because it uses the available technology and

applications intended to either insult, curse and insult other people (Rashid, 2016). At first it seems

that the situation is not that serious, but after various incidents leading to depression, lack of

confidence, extreme shame and some other major psychological issues, this act of bullying are

considered dangerous and required a great deal of scrutiny from the government (Kipper & Ramey,

2013).

Additionally, the public looks confident and courageous through the use of these social media

platforms (Harosh & Erastus, 2018). This is proved when without any hesitation they can justly scoff,

insult and drop the dignity of others when they feel the need to do so. Their justice depends only on
the level of their understanding about the issue, hence it is not surprising that they are confident
and

courageous in their act of bullying (Kipper & Ramey, 2013). These research also point out that not

only does it bring shame, it also slanders the victims. The value of today’s society is slowly

diminished simply because the misuse of technology and social media by cyber-bullier, acting on
their

own accords without understanding the consequences to others (Kipper & Ramey, 2013).

2. Previous studies

According to Malaysian Institute for Youth Development Research, in 2013 alone, the act of
cyberbullying increase by an astonishing 55.6 % compared to previous year. It is estimated that 389

cyberbullying cases averaging 62.3 % in teenagers were victimized while the remaining 37.7 % had

never experienced cyberbullying (Malaysian Institute for Youth Development Research, 2017).

Corresponding with this source, if the value were simplified, approximately 7 out of 10 teenagers
have

been the victims of cyberbullying. The percentage of youths that had been cyber-bullied in Malaysia

by race showed that the Malays having the highest cases with 67.5 %, followed by Sarawakians with

63.6 %, Indians with 52.6 %, the Chinese and Sabah Bumiputeras were 51.4 % and 48.1 %

respectively (Research Institute Malaysian Youth Development, 2017). Women were mostly bullied

with 58.19 % while men with 41.81 %. The number of platform-based cyberbullying cases also

showed a significant difference with Facebook topping the chart (67.6 %), followed by phone usage

(59.11 %), Chatroom/Forum (17.66 %), Twitter (14.75 %), Instagram (11.96 %), instant messaging

(9.87 %), email (8.13 %), blog (6.62 %) and the lastly YouTube (4.3 %) (Malaysian Youth

Development Research Institute, 2017).

3. The issues

There are various issues that can be identified from bullying using social media. One of it is abusing

its platform (Johanssen, 2019). Misuse of this technological platforms are definitely happening in

society as exposure to these new gadgets become common (Johanssen, 2019). Though nowadays

getting new and sophisticated gadgets seem to be easy, it should be stated that in previous era,
having

one or two gadgets such as hand phone are luxurious as these gadgets does not come cheap.
Contradict

to previous era, since nowadays there are many manufacturers producing gadgets, the price can be

reduced at an affordable rate (Johanssen, 2019). As a result, the ability to own a gadget increases as
well as the public's understanding of its importance. Though having a smartphone today is a must,

there are a small number of those who have misused this technology for their benefit to slander,
curse

and curse others (Johanssen, 2019). The power of possession is misused for improper purposes

contributing to the issue of cyberbullying (Klein, 2012).

This issue of bullying continuously happens due to the behavior of today’s society in particular

love to exaggerate an issue by sharing a story or video online (Klein, 2012). This has led to the

occurrence of cyberbullying in groups and sometimes up to millions of individuals involved in a single

JICETS 2019

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doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/2/022077

uploaded and viral issue (Klein, 2012). Even though the original intention is just to share the story, it

can be backfired to cyberbullying when every comments that came with the words of contempt

indirectly causing embarrassment and sadness to the individuals and families involved directly with

these viral issues. It is unfair for the victims of bullying, as most non-traditionalists or outsiders who

read it tend to blame the victims and unwilling to look at the facts of the bully (Klein, 2012). Thus,
the

victims of bullying will continue to be in unfavorable situations and may not be able to clear their

name or escape from the negative treatment they faced (Klein, 2012).

Another problem arises from these cyberbullying activity is the erosion of moral values in society

(Kipper & Ramey, 2013). This aspect is often associated with attitudes and culture in a society
(Rashid

& Mohamad, 2016). The erosion of values within the members of society is at an alarming state due
to

the impact of technologies (Kipper & Ramey, 2013). In the past, people are able to keep their word

and are ashamed to say something outrageous or deviate from society's norms, but nowadays
ridicule

word is cheap, words of contempt are lightened and the tendency to respect others are a thing at
the

past (Rashid & Mohamad, 2016). It is time for all parties without blaming other, to reestablish this
already tainted value in order to prevent it from being buried and drowning due to the advancement
of

technology (Kipper & Ramey, 2013).

Lack of legal attention toward the cyberbullying issue is also a problem the society faced today

(Kipper & Ramey, 2013). The government under the ministries should actively play roles in tending

the problem arises from cyberbullying as these unmoral activities happens without any borders

(Kipper & Ramey, 2013). Reviewing the law and legislation affecting social sites and the use of this

technology to curb the evil hands of a society should be continuously conduct to prevent the misuse
of

today’s technology.

Cyberbullying also directly disrupted the harmony in an affected society (Rashid & Mohamad,

2016). Harmony can be defined as the ability of individuals and societies to socialize well in their

environment. As a result of cyberbullying, it is becoming more like entertainments to certain people,

the harmony in society is waning, as there are no restrictions and barriers in current society
compared

to the past (Kipper & Ramey, 2013). Uploading unmoral photos or videos without the victim consent,

bombarding them with crushing negative intended words will continue to flourish in society. All of

these are the cause of disruptive harmony that previously never experienced. The effects of evil are

worsening each day and the victims are continuously oppressed (Kipper & Ramey, 2013).

4. Psychological impact in individual and community

There are many psychological effects due to cyberbullying issues involving the victims. These effects

and consequences were thoroughly discussed in a detail manner regarding cyberbullying issues
(Gray

& Bjorklund, 2014). The first effect is the collapse of one's self-esteem. When an individual is

exposed to cyber bullying, this may directly affect the individual's dignity and may result the victim
to

lack in confidence when dealing with the surrounding community that could worsen when involving

personal matters. If the victim is unable to cope with the sadness or shame surrounding them, the

victim could distance themselves from others with the feeling inappropriate for them to contact

directly. From a family standpoint, cyberbullying can affect the household of an individual, as there

are certainly many questions and answers need to explain, fight will occur, trust will be broken and a

relationship can be destroyed beyond imaginable (Gray & Bjorklund, 2014).

Another consequence from cyberbullying issue is depression. Depression is defined as anxiety,

sadness and extreme guilt that a person felt (Groome et.al., 2014). Depression that occurred
through

cyberbullying is usually fast-paced due to involvement of hundreds or thousands of people giving

negative verbal forms of speech regarding a viral issue (Groome et.al., 2014). Hence, individual

involved as the cyberbullying victim are likely to experience depression symptoms such as sleep

deprivation, over-thinking about an issue, problems with food digestion, and frequently feeling sad

(Groome et.al., 2014). If individuals who are the victims of these kind of bullying does not know take

care of this problem, it will lead to more serious cases such as self-harm or even suicide (Groome

et.al., 2014).

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doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/2/022077

Suicidal thought occurs repeatedly in a depressed person. This problem could be the worst

outcome in cyberbullying issues (Groome et.al., 2014). Suicidal cases are usually related to personal

issues and the victim are customary with women (Gray & Bjorklund, 2014). Before reaching the level

of suicide, it takes place step by step as stated in the preceding per mentioned. There are many
cases

abroad suggesting the dangers of cyberbullying and it takes place regardless of the individual's

background (Gray & Bjorklund, 2014). Therefore, individuals who are aware of this need to

collectively address the issue of cyberbullying whether they are bullying or victimization (Groome

et.al., 2014).

5. Intervention

There are a number of suggestions that can be submitted in addressing cyber-bullying issue. One

important suggestion is to strengthening the role parents in educating their children. Parents
should not

only educate their children using the preferable methods and expecting others contribute also for
their

children knowledge and education, but they also need aware of current events and learn new

knowledge about this current era. Parents should increase the knowledge regarding the latest

technology so that they can at least say something good to their generation. In addition, positive
values
in everyday life need to be emphasized as this will indirectly make their children realize the

importance of positive values are not only limited to everyday life but also extend to the use of
social

media and technology.

Besides parenting method, authorities can also play their part by leveraging the power of mass

media such as television and advertising on the broadband network to constantly emphasize and

reprimand the entire population so that civilian are aware of this cyberbullying issue. Enforcing
this is

a straightforward method that authorities can achieved as the they hold the jurisdiction in keeping

civilian safe. Psychologically, every person who is educated and are being positively criticized on a

daily basis will be easily molded to be a good citizen. Even if it is time consuming, at least an

appropriate action has been taken, rather than simply banning on-off or better known by an

expressions touch and go. The problems of cyberbullying will certainly be mitigated gradually and
the

quality of life of a society will gradually improve. Concurrently, a more moral society can be
achieved

in the future.

Moreover, the authorities can use the same approach, enforcing a more severe law and legislation

to ensure that blasphemous, defamatory, cursing and other forms of bad words can be refined
using

various application and in turn can help to reduce cyberbullying among members of the public.
There

are many experts in this country that can assist in resolving this issue if it is taken seriously by the

government for the sake of peace.

On the school's part, the teaching approach by school needs to be improved. This is because

students in primary and secondary schools today are different compared to previous era. The
moral

and religious issues in students, whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim, need to be
strengthened. A

thorough amendment on today’s syllabus need to be made adding more experts in various area
giving

opinions and thought to cure this problem to realize the solution. It is approximately 11 or 12
years’

student being educated in school hence we can believe they are equipped to face reality and real
world
expectations.

Imposing strict laws such as prison and penalties for cyberbullying offenders is suggested to
reduce

this unmoral behavior. The government in particular needs to take these offends more seriously

because it is crime and have dangerous consequences as the cyberbullying offenders are more
difficult

to identify compared to the physical offender. Therefore, it is proposed that the existing
legislation on

cyber-crime to be re-evaluated and strengthened for the benefit of the Malaysians’ public.
Certainly

there are appropriate laws in other countries can be refer as a guide for cybercrime offenders.

Technology will evolve continuous and if this is not taken seriously, cyberbullying will continue to

grow and infected our society, leading to disruptive civilization.

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doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/2/022077

Another aspect that can be strengthen to intervene this problem is to highlight and improve the

career of counselors in all institutions. Adding counselors in various departments is predicted to

reduced cyberbullying issues and help victims to recover from these traumatic event. In general, a

department have 2 or 3 people as a counsellor, increasing the workloads far beyond their capability.

Hence, it is time for the government to re-evaluate and understand the importance of having

appropriate so that it could occupied the needs of the victim due to the role of counselors is
extremely

need in organization and society as they involved in issues involving psychiatry, prevention, and etc.

6. Conclusion

All the problems related to society and technology can still be avoided if we understand the trigger
and

culprits. Therefore, through this paper it is hoped that all parties mentioned directly or indirectly will

work together to address this cybercrime offense rather than letting it continue to spread in our
society.

The main concern of researchers in this matter is the inclusion of cyberbullying culture in human life.
This is problematic as cyberbullying seems to have become a norm in the culture and social issue in

Malaysia. It is hoped that these suggestions can be taken as a positive input to eradicate
cyberbullying culture among Malaysian citizens.

Cyberbullying and the Media

The media is very powerful. It has the ability to influence the way we speak, what we consider to be
the norm, and how we feel about certain subjects. In addition to influencing our behavior, how we
view ourselves, and how we view the world around us, the media can be used by us in order to
actually influence our world (Penn State, 2014). One way this can happen is through the use of social
media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, ChristianMingle, and various other websites where
individuals can set up accounts for themselves and interact with other human beings. People can use
these websites to rekindle old flames, catch up with high school friends they haven’t spoken to in a
while, keep long-distance friendships going strong, and defame people they don’t like. That’s right –
the media that we use in everyday life is often utilized not only in benign ways, but also for far more
malignant purposes. Some people use social media in order to bully individuals they dislike and
others use it in order to outright ruin their lives.

One such malignant use of social media stems from fake profiles. If you have someone’s picture,
phone number, name, and other bits of personal information, you can set up a profile for them in
basically any social site and it can look completely legitimate. There certainly are a rather large
number of people who set up profiles that are actually fake. Imagine such a profile of yourself out
there in the world; imagine that someone decided to make a profile of you on Twitter or on
Match.com and put actual pictures of you and your real contact information. Imagine that these
people also used your name and face to write extremely inappropriate comments about your boss,
your church friends, or a particular race or ethnicity of people, making you look obscene, two-faced,
and racist. Does this sound far-fetched? Unfortunately, it’s a far too real occurrence.

There are various cyberbullying cases where individuals set up fake profiles in order to hurt someone
they know in real life. Some of these individuals may set up profiles and begin to talk to an individual
and pretend to be really nice to her. They can say that they’re from a different school and know the
sibling of someone whom she knows. By posting multiple pictures, the individual can come off as
real, even though he’s fake. Once the people who set up the fake account have the trust of the
person, they tell them that they’re worthless and should just kill themselves. If this is timed just
right, it can actually lead the person to commit suicide, and it’s a case that’s happened before. One
such instance is with a girl who was as young as 13. The article of her story can be read at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494809/Girl-13-commits-suicide-cyber-bullied-neighbour-
posing-teenage-boy.html. It’s a very real and very serious issue, and it happens more than we can
imagine. The ABC family and Seventeen magazine’s film Cyberbully was created in order to fight
online bullying, and it does a rather good job of portraying a milder case of cyberbullying where a
similar thing happened.
Other individuals may set up such accounts to outright just bully. Cyberbullying can seem far more
harmless to the bullies than it truly is in part because it’s not as easy to see the damage that is being
dealt, not the reactions of the people who are being harmed. A few years ago, there was a
newsworthy cyberbullying case where some individuals in a high school decided that it would be fun
to create a Facebook page under the name of one of the students in their school. He was an athlete
who was pretty well-respected, according to the article. The kids used real photos of the individual,
wrote down his real phone number on the page – anything to make it look legitimate. They then
proceeded to write awful, mean, slanderous posts using the Facebook page, even going so far as
writing “obscene, racist, and sexual” comments (Cheng, 2009). Needless to say, this affected the
reputation and life of the poor boy that had literally nothing to do with the Facebook page set up in
his name. That just shows the large amount of power that people can have online as well as the
power the media holds. It’s not only easy to pretend that you’re someone other than you – it’s also
extremely easy to pretend that you’re an actual person whom you want to torment. The young
athlete’s fake profile got the attention of some of the recruits who were looking into recruiting him
for their college and raised concerns about whether they truly should. Maybe those kids meant for
the Facebook page to be a prank, but that awful prank could have altered the child’s life forever –
for the worse. It likely cost him admission to many colleges as well as scholarships and a rather big
damage to his reputation (Cheng, 2009).

Cyberbullying doesn’t stop at high school, nor does it stop on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
There are certainly plenty of fake accounts out there on sites where individuals search for their
“perfect match”. There are various cases where dating sites are used by murderers in order to pick
up their victims, but there are also cases where the individual who uses the site for harm do so for
less murderous reasons. A man was arrested by the Van Buren Police Department under the
suspicion that he created a fake account under the name of his ex-girlfriend on Adult Friend Finder.
He would set up dates with real men under her fake account, and these men, clueless that the
account and post were both fake, would contact her while she was at work, call her on her landline
and cell phone, or even show up at her work for her. The poor girl was being harassed by men she
wasn’t even contacting herself all because of a bitter ex-boyfriend (Henry, 2013).

It’s much easier to bully someone from behind the protection of a computer screen, where you can’t
clearly see all the damage you’re inflicting one someone. I think it’s very possible that some people
can bully online and only view it as something “fun,” when it’s actually something much more
harmful and potentially life-changing. Without a clear visual of the reactions of the people being
bullied, it’s much easier to misunderstand others and go too far online.

References:

Cheng, J. (2009, September 28). ArsTechnicaNot an obscene racist after all: 4 flagged for Facebook
fake. Ars Technica. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-
policy/2009/09/that-obscene-racist-may-be-fake-4-sued-for-profile-prank/
Girl, 13, commits suicide after being cyber-bullied by neighbour posing as teenage boy. (n.d.). Mail
Online. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494809/Girl-13-
commits-suicide-cyber-bullied-neighbour-posing-teenage-boy.html

Henry, L. (2013, November 7). Man Faces Cyber-Bullying Charge In Ex-Girlfriend’s Fake Adult-Date
Profile.5NEWSOnlinecom. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from
http://5newsonline.com/2013/11/07/man-faces-cyber-bullying-charge-in-ex-girlfriends-fake-adult-
date-profile/

Penn State. (2014). Lesson 9: Media/Communications Technology. Penn State, Department of

Psychology.

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2 comments

Brake Repair

April 28, 2016 at 2:20 pm

Brake Repair

Cyberbullying and the Media | Applied Social Psychology (ASP)

adb5429

March 24, 2014 at 8:46 am

Cyberbullying has definitely become a pervasive social issue globally. It is true that many individuals
set up false accounts in the name of another person, or as a fictitious character. In a study
conducted in 2006, the faculty of education at University of Calgary found that over half of the
participants (264 junior high students) reported being cyber bullied (Li, 2006). Since this study is
eight years old, and technology has advanced rapidly since then, I would suggest that cyberbullying
has gotten worse for all age groups capable of using the internet. The study continued to note that
the individuals who were victims of this abuse did not usually notify their parents that this was
happening.

There has been some improvement when it comes to reporting bullying. According to Jones et al.,
2013, students have been more comfortable in reporting bullying to teachers and or parents. This
study examined surveys taken from years 2000, 2005, and 2010. Another interesting phenomenon is
that adolescents have began taking or expanding their conflict onto the online forums, instead of
confronting each other in person, or letting the conflict die out.

Adults aren’t immune to negative online behaviors. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and even Pinterest
provide space for negative attention, disagreements, and random hateful treatment. I personally
deactivated my accounts by choice a long time ago. However, this isn’t necessary for those who
enjoy the positive features offered by these social media companies. I would suggest reviewing
privacy settings if someone is constantly ridiculing you online. Don’t be afraid to report or flag an
individual, especially if they are using derogatory language. Finally, as parents, siblings, and
extended family members, we can all do our part to support those closest to us if we fear they might
be suffering through cyberbullying.

References:

Jones, L.M., Mitchell, K.J., & Finkelhor, D. (2013). Online Harassment in Context: Trends from Three
Internet Youth Safety Surveys. Psychology of Violence, 3(1), 53-69. doi: 10.1037/a0030309

Li, Qing (2006). Cyberbullying in Schools. School Psychology International, 27(2), 157-170. doi:
10.1177/0143034306064547

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cyberbullying Research in Malaysia

Here is the research we’ve found on cyberbullying in Malaysia, with the most recent first. Please
email us if you have any articles to add with the details ordered in the same format as the others.

Authors: Rajamanickam, R., Ramli, F. S., Na’aim, M. S. M., Hassan, M. S., & Hashim, H.

Year: 2019

Title: Defining Bullying among Students from Criminal Law Perspective: Comparison between
Malaysia and the Philippines

Journal: Universal Journal of Educational Research

URL: DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2019.070803

Abstract: School bullying is not new, but it has been a long and constant problem. Bullying issues are
often reported in the mass media and have garnered attention not only in Malaysia but also abroad.
Today, bullying can no longer considered as a trivial social problem that can be taken lightly. Failure
to address this issue will have bad consequences for students in particular. Various ways have been
introduced to tackle this issue and one of them is through the enforcement of law. This study will
focus on the bullying within the legal framework in Malaysia, especially in the context of its
definition. Studies showed that while in Malaysia, there are alarming statistics about bullying, but
little attention has been paid to the absence of any specific law dealing with bullying in Malaysia. To
date, no statutory definition of bullying has been provided. This paper thus provides an overview of
Malaysia’s legal framework of bullying compared with the Philippines law on bullying. Despite a
number of definitions of bullying provided by the scholars, the paper concludes that to date, there
are no specific law on bullying and its statutory definition in Malaysia. Such absence may not fully
safeguard the interests of bullying victims comprehensively. The findings would give more clarity to
the theoretical framework of bullying in Malaysia thus showing the commitment of the government
towards preventing the rampancy of this issue through legal enforcement

Citation: Rajamanickam, R., Ramli, F. S., Na’aim, M. S. M., Hassan, M. S., & Hashim, H. (2019).
Defining Bullying among Students from Criminal Law Perspective: Comparison between Malaysia and
the Philippines. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(8), 1643-1649.

Authors: Ruiz, R. M. N. M.

Year: 2018

Title: Curbing Cyberbullying Among Students: A Comparative Analysis of Existing Laws Among
Selected Asian Countries

Journal: PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences

URL: DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.12851305

Abstract: Last 2013, the Philippines approved the Anti-Bullying law, which covered cyberbullying.
However, a 2015 study revealed that 80% of filipino teenagers aged 13 to 16 are still experiencing
cyberbullying (Takumi, 2016). This paper attempted to compare existing laws on cyberbullying
among selected ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries such as Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also aims to identify each country’s anti-
cyberbullying measures that might fit other ASEAN countries’ needs. To achieve its purposes, it used
a qualitative research with the following primary methods: discourse analysis of cyberbullying laws
and alternative strategies addressing said concern; and literature review of online journals, online
publications, and online news articles. The study revealed that the Philippines is the only ASEAN
country with a cyberbullying law that addresses the students, while other countries have alternative
strategies in addressing the issue. Further, it found that cyberbullying is experienced by individuals
aged 6 to 30 through Facebook and Twitter. The study suggests that the government should require
schools to develop specific and consistent policies that would address this concern; and a curriculum
that promotes digital responsibility. Finally, parents are encouraged to educate their children on
ethical values, particularly in the digital world.

Citation: Ruiz, R. M. N. M. (2018). Curbing Cyberbullying Among Students: A Comparative Analysis of

Existing Laws Among Selected Asian Countries. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(3).

Author(s): Balakrishnan, V.

Year: 2015

Title: Cyberbullying among young adults in Malaysia: The roles of gender, age and Internet
frequency.

Journal: Computers in human behavior

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215000357

Abstract: This study investigated the extent of young adults’ (N = 393; 17–30 years old) experience of
cyberbullying, from the perspectives of cyberbullies and cyber-victims using an online questionnaire
survey. The overall prevalence rate shows cyberbullying is still present after the schooling years. No
significant gender differences were noted, however females outnumbered males as cyberbullies and
cyber-victims. Overall no significant differences were noted for age, but younger participants were
found to engage more in cyberbullying activities (i.e. victims and perpetrators) than the older
participants. Significant differences were noted for Internet frequency with those spending 2–5 h
online daily reported being more victimized and engage in cyberbullying than those who spend less
than an hour daily. Internet frequency was also found to significantly predict cyber-victimization and
cyberbullying, indicating that as the time spent on Internet increases, so does the chances to be
bullied and to bully someone. Finally, a positive significant association was observed between cyber-
victims and cyberbullies indicating that there is a tendency for cyber-victims to become cyberbullies,
and vice versa. Overall it can be concluded that cyberbullying incidences are still taking place, even
though they are not as rampant as observed among the younger users.
Citation: Balakrishnan, V. (2015). Cyberbullying among young adults in Malaysia: The roles of gender,
age and Internet frequency. Computers in human behavior, 46, 149-157.

Author(s): Ang, R. P., Tan, K. A., & Mansor, A. T.

Year: 2010

Title: Normative beliefs about aggression as a mediator of narcissistic exploitativeness and

cyberbullying.

Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence

URL: http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/12/04/0886260510388286.full.pdf

Abstract: The current study examined normative beliefs about aggression as a mediator between
narcissistic exploitativeness and cyberbullying using two Asian adolescent samples from Singapore
and Malaysia. Narcissistic exploitativeness was significantly and positively associated with
cyberbullying and normative beliefs about aggression and normative beliefs about aggression were
significantly and positively associated with cyberbullying. Normative beliefs about aggression were a
significant partial mediator in both samples; these beliefs about aggression served as one possible
mechanism of action by which narcissistic exploitativeness could exert its influence on cyberbullying.
Findings extended previous empirical research by showing that such beliefs can be the mechanism of
action not only in offline but also in online contexts and across cultures. Cyberbullying prevention
and intervention efforts should include modification of normds and beliefs supportive of the
legitimacy and acceptability of cyberbullying.

Citation: Ang, R. P., Tan, K. A., & Mansor, A. T. (2010). Normative beliefs about aggression as a
mediator of narcissistic exploitativeness and cyberbullying. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
0886260510388286.