USM academic urges for stronger laws to curb cyberbullying

KUALA LUMPUR: Improvements must continue to be made in terms of legislation, policies, education, and proactive measures on the safety and security of applications and social media to curb cyberbullying.

Universiti Sains Malaysia criminologist and psychologist Assoc Prof Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat said there is a need for special regulation and supervision to curb cyberbullying, especially on social media, and to stop opportunities for cyberbullying.

"Currently, there are many laws used to identify and curb cyberbullying, including the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Act 1998.

"However, current laws are insufficient in terms of protecting children, especially in the digital realm, as most of the laws don't cover activities connected to technology and the internet sufficiently," she said when contacted on Friday (July 12).

She said authorities also need to focus on perpetrators and safe operational systems, not only on victims.

"Regarding perpetrators, their traits, what motivates their actions, and why or how their cyberbullying actions are sustained.

"Why perpetrators target some people and not others, thus parents and guardians need to be alert," she said.

Dr Geshina said proactive crime prevention efforts are also needed, covering various categories including increasing the risk of capture, reducing gains from criminal action, increasing penalties, and increasing the difficulty to commit offences.

"All parties have the responsibility to ensure the internet is safe for users and free of wrongdoing or crimes.

"Collaborative effort between family-school-community-government must be for the long term in order to form individuals who respect and have empathy for others, not creating enemies or finding faults of others. It all starts at home," she said.

Dr Geshina said there is also a need to understand the implications and long-term effects on the victim and how far society should regard cyberbullying as a crime.

"The victim would suffer a psychological scar, which is usually long-term and could lead to death if there is no intervention treatment.

"In fact, there are a number of children, teenagers, and adults who have taken their own lives as a result of cyberbullying," she said.