Cyberspace has become an over-exploited platform of knowledge sharing and gaining where such information could be used for the benefit of the good as well as the bad. It is under this context that the need to stress on the ethical use of Cyberspace has become crucial, particularly in social media. Cyberbullying, mainly through social media platforms, has posed a bigger challenge to the younger generation - often viewed as the vulnerable target. As much as the benefits attributed to this technology, it certainly does have its fair share of drawbacks. Youngsters can easily fall prey to online bullies mainly due to their innocence and lack of awareness on how to navigate on online platforms without being scapegoated or being held prisoners in a virtual space. This could often affect a victim psychologically, resulting in depression, suicidal thoughts and could even lead to a downward spiral in their day to day activities.  

"Cyberbullying, mainly through social media platforms, has posed a bigger challenge to the younger generation"

Impact on youngsters 

Stating that, not only the younger generation, but everyone alike are affected due to the influence of social media, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Specialised Children’s Hospital, Peradeniya Dr. Udena Attygalle says that there are many positives to social media and in the overall, Cyberspace. Reiterating the need to highlight the benefits, he said that opportunities such as online education, socialization and online therapy apps could be very helpful tools, when used properly. However, he pointed out that these online platforms could be problematic when people are incapable of balancing their lifestyle, which often leads to risks surpassing the benefits.

"As much as the good, the vices of Cyberspace should not be ignored"

Explicating further on the issues encountered on social media and cyberspace in general, Dr. Attygalle said that while it provides an opportunity for interaction, excessive use of such platforms may take one away from real life engagements, which is important for child development in particular. “Fast moving and vivid video games for an instance, might make paying attention or concentration to day to day activities to slow down, difficult and less interesting. When one is unable or find it difficult to stop using these devices, it should be understood that the mind is craving for such stimulation. These simulations are inbuilt in to the functionalities of games, social media and etc. Instant rewarding/ responses inbuilt into these platforms can become a disadvantage in developing skills such as delayed gratification, that are important for future success. Using and posting on social media without discretion can lead to various issues including having a psychological impact on the user,” Dr. Attygalle explained. 

In terms of Cyber bullying, the anonymity, perceived lack of authority and a sense of distance leads to more dis-inhibition of the victim, known as the ‘online dis-inhibition effect’, making bullies even more brave. Dr. Attygalle also noted that online platforms do not facilitate getting help to regulate one’s emotions from the other end, as easy as in real world circumstances. 
“Due to the large numbers of users and relative lack of regulation, the thinking of adolescents may be validated (even if it is harmful), if the majority of users in the group also believe so. This is a normalizing process that is bad and one fine example would be issues related to self-harming” he added.

"When one is unable or find it difficult to stop using these devices, it should be understood that the mind is craving for such stimulation. These simulations are inbuilt in to the functionalities of games, social media and etc.”
- Dr. Udena Attygalle Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Speaking on the positive approach parents could take to prevent children from falling on the wrong track, Dr. Attygalle said that parents lacking the technical know-hows of how to help or regulate their children in the cyberspace acts as a major loophole leading to such problems, hence it is important that parents educate themselves on these technical subjects. “It is important to be mindful, right from the beginning on how social media and Cyberspace in general could be designed to look attractive and thereby keep the users hooked, the best examples being games and various social media aspects. Always think of the need to re-engage the child in Cyber activities in the future, in a more responsible and useful manner. Take heed that you can’t escape the Cyberspace” Dr. Attygalle noted.

He also stressed that boys with attention issues and impulsivity are more likely to have problematic internet gaming issues, whereas for girls this would most likely be accompanied with depression and anxiety. When inquired on the alternative approach recommended for young children to disengage from excessive use of social media/cyber space, Dr. Attygalle said that at the initial stage following addictive online use,  one might need to tap into alternatives that match the rewards and fast pace of Cyberspace. However, later the patient can be offered with slower activities. Alternatively a complete change of environment can also be helpful.

"Meegasmulla advised parents to be vigilant and closely observe their children’s online activities and behaviours to prevent such unfortunate incidents from taking place. Parents can redirect their child’s focus to positive aspects of using social media where many campaigns are conducted to raise awareness"

“Whatever activities you offer, you will also have to offer continued and frequent engagement of yourself. Activities have to be tailored to the individual or offer group activities that are engaging. Multi-sensory engagement is possibly better. Take note that engagement is key here. Always think of a sustainable set up that takes the young person’s needs into consideration and do not focus merely at stopping excessive screen use. Be ready to make sacrifices yourself as a parent and to spend time with them” Dr. Attygalle added.
While advising that children/adults affected negatively due to the Cyberspace should not be termed as individuals who may display traits of reckless or psychologically disturbed behaviour, Dr. Attygalle opined that it would be far better to view and approach them in a more humanistic and gentle manner. 

“As a whole everyone will benefit from communities having qualities such as empathy, consideration sensitivity and these values can be promoted in online platforms as well. It is also important for communities to be aware and educated about these problems, so that we are not afraid to allow the younger generations to make positive advances in modern technology” Dr. Attygalle highlighted.

Mitigating online threats

Providing more insight into how Cyber bullying is tackled when encountered via social media, Information Security Engineer Ravindu Meegasmulla of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team | Coordination Centre (CERT|CC) states that they can assist the victim in providing technical support in instances where a person is bullied, someone’s account is hacked or when a fake account is created and etc. “Once the matter is reported to Sri Lanka CERT|CC, we provide the technical support needed to counter such incidents. In the case of children, we basically refer them to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and they have the law enforcement authority or power to commence an investigation. However, we cannot do any such thing as we are not a law enforcement entity. If it is not a child, then obviously we have a mechanism where the victim will be required to fill a form, which is sent to Facebook” says Meegasmulla. Facebook takes the final decision based on their community standards, where they go through the matter and if it violates the community guidelines, necessary actions are taken accordingly. If any victim wants to pursue through legal means, he/she can always contact the Cyber Crime Section established under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which consists of a social media unit. According to Meegasmulla, the Cyber Crime Section has the authority do launch investigations, assist victims and help take down offensive content. They also have the power to find who the perpetrator is. 

"Youngsters can easily fall prey to online bullies mainly due to their innocence and lack of awareness on how to navigate on online platforms"

When inquired on what could be done to mitigate the threats of Cyberspace, he opined that following ethics is paramount to prevent the escalation of Cyber related crimes. “One does not need to pretend to be someone else on social media. It is ethically wrong and I believe that only when someone starts respecting one’s own privacy, they will start respecting other’s privacy. So, ensuring the privacy is important. There are two things that need to be taken into consideration when one creates a social media account. One is to secure the account and the other is to secure the privacy. All mechanisms are provided by the social media platform providers to ensure the securing process. Also, to secure the account, one can adhere to two factor authentication where you can add another device to verify the identity of your account. You can control and make changes to your privacy in the privacy settings provided in the social media platform. Always secure your account and secure your privacy. This is one of the best ways, one can mitigate the occurrence of unnecessary incidents” he added. 
Addressing the need to close the knowledge gap between parents and children, Meegasmulla said that parents should be able to keep up with the advancing technology and should be aware of how it could benefit or harm their kids. “Parents can participate in awareness sessions and should be able to impose certain restrictions on the child from the time the child’s starts getting accustomed to such devices. Gradual imposition of restrictions are better as the  child would eventually adopt to such a system, where he will not over exploit the use of Cyberspace. It is also better to keep the laptop/computer used by the child, in a common room space in the household. This would help the parents in monitoring their child’s online activities. Also, parents can add parental control on Apple and Android devices or create separate child accounts. Applying screen time restriction in the settings helps to monitor the amount of screen time used by a child in online platforms. We have drafted a set of guidelines for parents and teachers on how to securely conduct on line sessions, which is available in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages on our website. We have  circulated these guidelines to schools as well. Currently, we are developing a cartoon booklet, which will attract children. This will basically focus on Cyberspace” he noted.

"One does not need to pretend to be someone else on social media. It is ethically wrong and I believe that only when someone starts respecting one’s own privacy, they will start respecting other’s privacy. So, ensuring the privacy is important”
- Ravindu Meegasmulla Information Security Engineer"

When inquired on the impact of socially degrading or extremist content being subtly circulated on social media, how it could affect the minds of the young and even challenge the national security, he said that one cannot run away from this technology but have to move on with it. “Having open discussions with kids is helpful. As parents they can clearly identify any difference in their kid and the best way to address the problem is to discuss it with them openly as a friend. Parents should approach their children on such matters gently and should enlighten them on the availability of institutions that are ready to help them, should they come across any online incident that should be reported” he explained. Elucidating on the mental impact on children from being subjected to negative content on Cyberspace, he noted that a child may tend to get isolated and depressed in the long run and there are chances to even end one’s life. Therefore, Meegasmulla advised parents to be vigilant and closely observe their children’s online activities and behaviours to prevent such unfortunate incidents from taking place. Parents can redirect their child’s focus to positive aspects of using social media, where many campaigns are conducted to raise awareness on educational content including blood donation campaigns, helping the elders, Shramadana campaigns and etc. 

"Parents can participate in awareness sessions and should be able to impose certain restrictions on the child"

As much as the good, the vices of Cyberspace should not be ignored. From the circulation of posts that promote extremist content and racially derogatory posts, videos and comments to the potential challenge it would pose to the national security, the luring of unsuspecting victims to heinous crimes and the influence of social media and online games in creating a generation that may be trapped in a virtual space in contrast to real time events, one needs to exercise extra caution when using such technology. Sri Lanka could certainly take a leaf from the UK Council for Internet Safety, which was initially commenced as the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), a group of more than 200 organizations representing the government, industry, law, academia and charity sectors who work in collaboration to ensure the safety of children in online platforms. Sri Lanka too needs to establish a concrete legal framework that would protect rights of children and adults alike on Cyberspace, a legal mechanism which would bring perpetrators to book and would assist and lend an ear to the grievances of the victim. Therefore, it is imperative to promote the ethical use of Cyberspace as it would have a direct impact on shaping youngsters and the adults alike as progressive individuals in the years to come.