By Gabriela Baron
Filipino youth experience a “wider range” of bullying and harassment on social media than earlier studies, according to new research.
The research, conducted by the De La Salle University (DLSU) research team, is based on a two-year research project covering Metro Manila, Batangas, Negros Occidental, and Misamis Occidental.
The project involved in-depth interviews with 152 Filipino youth aged 15 to 24 across different genders and educational status.
“We wanted to go beyond official definitions of social media bullying and harassment and hear what young people themselves had to say,” DLSU Professor Cheryll Soriano said.
The study found three dimensions that young people use to identify bullying and harassment online: targets, acts, and spaces.
“Bullying and harassment can be aimed at individuals,” Dr. Jan Bernadas explained.
“Beyond this, online posts, memes, and the like can be aimed at groups like the queer community and ideas like believing in a particular stance,” Bernadas continued.
Meanwhile, Professor Jason Cabañes said bullying can also be concealed in the form of jokes, teasing, and sarcasm “among friends that may seem like fun but are actually perceived as bullying and hurtful to peers.
“Bullying and harassment can be direct and in your face. But it can be veiled because you can just subtweet someone or talk about a person who isn’t part of the group chat you’re in,” Cabañes noted.
Kimberly Kaye Mata, a psychology scholar, pointed out that “these things can start in a private chat,” but stressed bullying can escalate to “the point that it happens openly on social media.”
“Like what you see with bashing or with cancel culture,” Mata added.
Based on the research findings, the DLSU research team is set to launch a series of online videos produced for the youth and downloadable posters for schools and guardians on July 8.
These multimedia materials will be available in English, Filipino, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya.
“Responding to the challenge of social media bullying and harassment cannot just be done by the Filipino youth alone,” psychology Professor Maria Caridad Tarroja said.
“Alongside these young people, there also needs to be collective responses from social media platforms and local communities,” Tarroja added. — ngs
