Although social media has become an increasingly favored form of communication, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also become a breeding ground for new forms of bullying in the Philippines.

This was revealed by a study published by De La Salle University’s Social Development Research Center, titled “How Filipino Youth Identify and Act on Bullying and Harassment on Social Media."

A United Nations report said cyberbullying affects 50 percent of Filipino children aged 13 to 17. But the number could be more significant as even children below the age group, the study read, are already exposed to social media.

“The participants said that they have been using social media, normally beginning with Facebook, at a very young age, many below the age of 13,” said Dr. Cheryll Ruth Soriano, the paper’s principal investigator.

According to her, all the 152 Filipino youths aged 15-24 included in the survey have experienced cyberbullying.

“The participants say that bullying and harassment on social media generally are pervasive, commonly occurring, and normal. When asked to estimate, they said that around 70 to 80% of those in their generation had had such negative experiences,” she said.

Soriano said that while the common understanding for bullying is that “victimization takes place through direct acts of individuals,” in digital spaces, the act is not limited to “direct sexual attacks or direct broadcasting of one's failures.”

Comments often passed as jokes, “which discriminate certain groups,” the researcher said, is an example.

“Bullying can be a product of social interactions not necessarily by the intention of being mean,” she explained.

Soriano added, that bullying translates to “online rambulan” where the “regional differences of residents from one province” are bashed by those from other provinces and sites; through discrimination of specific social groups some of the youth were affiliated with such as the LGBT community; or when Filipino youth and their groups, are targeted because of “the ideas they represent.”

The investigator also said an act does not need to happen on several occasions over a long period to count as bullying.

These can range from direct and indirect “sexual attacks or “broadcasting of one's failures.”

"Patago, pairing, paligoy-ligoy,the youth find the ambiguity in these acts opens them up to more than one interpretation. And the severity of these events can still be immense for some individuals,” Soriano said.

She also warned that when bullying happens in public posts, it creates opportunities for “cancel culture and bashing” and it spurs a bullying intergroup phenomenon.

"This leads to many more other participants, even those that are known to the victim may indicate to participate," she said.

• #BeCyberSafe project aims to shield children from online abuse

The researchers admitted that setting boundaries online and internet regulation among social media users is a huge challenge in the digital age where one’s uncensored ability to express their thoughts and opinions is argued as a “freedom of expression.”

But according to Dr. Caridad Tarroja, one of the paper’s investigators, “the perception of bullying is up to the person who became the subject of the attack.”

"How it happens may or may not be direct. Bullying is defined by the youth who experience it, the one who felt harassed or attacked, that’s our findings," she said.

“It can be shaped by their attitudes, and personality differences. So, when we tell about such experiences, we must avoid dismissing them,” Dr. Jason Cabane, an investigator chimed in.

While attacks done in public digital spaces are more visible, according to the study, “private groups can serve as dominant sites for witnessing and experiencing online bullying.”

The researcher also reported that “online bullying is fluid and can move from one space to another.”

“The youth may first experience or witness online bullying in private group chats, it can then move to open spaces such as public halls,” Soriano stressed. “This also implies that it can happen in a physical space, such as school campuses, and quickly transfer also online, coupled with advanced cameras and videos.”

Based on their study, while bullying and harassment are done online their impact can be largely felt offline.

• New DLSU study sheds light on how Filipino youth experience cyberbullying

Cyberbullying and harassment, Tarroja said, "can decrease self-esteem, trigger isolation, as well as negatively affect relationships."

“These may lead to mental health issues such as depression and in some extreme cases, suicidal thoughts,” she warned.

Tarroja explained that “the lack of control of the interaction social media can overwhelm young people.”

“They thought these words are made and would stay public for a long time aggravates their negative feelings. They fear that this content may be seen by many people, including their family and friends,” she said.

When the victim, on the other hand, chooses to retaliate, it creates a cycle of bullying.

“There is some that may choose to take revenge and attack the bullies,” she said. “Their actions stem from wanting to protect themselves.”

Thus, the researchers spotlighted the importance of providing healthy coping mechanisms victims can turn to such as seeking professional help, reporting to persons in authority, or joining online groups.

“We need to create a healthy environment. It is the collective effort of schools and families. We need recognition all around,” Cabanes stated.

Dr. Mary Abigaile Capay, the paper's field coordinator for Visayas, recommended strengthening information campaigns for parents and teachers.

"There is a big possibility that they will not talk to their parents. They will not want to make a big deal. Even if they think oh this is normal... [That is why] there should be an open life for communication. If there is an opportunity to talk to students in homeroom program or with an adult they can trust," she said.

Part of the campaign, according to the study is creating programs that will teach children the importance of being kind, especially during the prevalence of "cancel culture" or "online kuyog."

"If someone is willing not to be part of, you know, ganging up on someone, because they understand that it may be detrimental to a person or have empathy and instead they will reach out to the other person, it will make a lot of difference," Capay reasoned.

One way to do it, the paper suggests, is to elaborate on the negative effects of bullying.

"They should know that trauma will be detrimental to the sense of self and like it will affect the youth even until they grow up," Capay said.

Tarroja on the other underscored the significance of making personal social media pages a "safe space."

“Create your boundaries and recognize this. Take cues from people around people, and be sensitive to their reactions of people… If you can make your own online space safe for everyone, then model that to the people in your social space. Empower yourself to say that my social space will be safe and then define that.” she said.

“If you post something and it is public it has a chance to scale up. It can contribute to the bullying of others. We have to help youth understand we have responsibilities on social media."

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