Impacts of Social Media Usage on Cyberbullying: Examining the Consequences and Mitigation Strategies; A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Youth in District Dir Lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

The current study was conducted on the impacts of social media usage on cyberbullying among youth in districts lower Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A sample size of 354 students was randomly selected for the collection of primary data by using structured questionnaires. The primary data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage distribution) and inferential statistics, specifically the chi-square test. The present study found that the proliferation of the use of smartphones and the rising level of the usage of social media has transformed the practice of bullying at micro and macro levels. Children, teens, and youth of poor families become the victims of bullying more than those who have high income to encounter such kind of online bullying. Furthermore, cyberbullying is the most popular online crime on social media. Likewise, the majority of cyberbullies send explicit images to users they did not ask for and spread false rumors about social media users. Similarly, some common questions asked by someone other than your parents like where you were, who they are, with whom you were, and what you were doing, also come under the domain of cyberbullying. Similarly, the majority of social media users become victims of offensive names and have been threatened by someone through online social websites. Cyberbullying deteriorates well-being physically, socially, and psychologically. Cyberbullying is also vulnerable and threatens the social and economic stability of social media users.