Letters | Hong Kong schools must realise that online learning and cyberbullying may go hand in hand

Name: Covid-19: Hong Kong’s needy pupils sidelined by online learning one year since class suspension
Uploaded: 2021-05-02T00:15:17.000Z
Duration: 5 min 39 s
Description: Covid-19: Hong Kong’s needy pupils sidelined by online learning one year since class suspension

More time spent on the internet could be a reason for the spike in bullying cases

On normal school days, some schools collect students’ smartphones. However, would students have put away their digital devices during online lessons?

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Cyberbullying is on the rise, especially as students have spent most of the year learning online. Photo: Shutterstock

Letters

Published: 8:15am, 2 May 2021Updated: 8:15am, 2 May 2021

I am writing in response to “Hong Kong schools report 50 per cent jump in bullying despite in-person classes being suspended because of Covid-19” (April 15) concerning cyberbullying in Hong Kong.

Although the Education Bureau did not propose a cause of the substantial rise in cyberbullying, more time spent on the internet could be a reason for the problem.

As most face-to-face classes were suspended in the 2019-2020 academic year due to the pandemic, lessons and academic activities were mainly delivered online. During normal school days, some schools collect students’ smartphones before lessons begin. However, would students have put away their digital devices on their own to concentrate on learning when face-to-face teaching was suspended?

According to a survey by the Hong Kong Playground Association last year, the daily average time young people aged 13 to 15 spend on mobile phone applications, largely social media, is eight-and-a-half hours. This considerable amount of time spent on the internet is worth our attention. Nowadays, social media and the internet are indispensable to student life. Without self-discipline and supervision, some students can be expected to spend additional time online when they have access to stable Wi-fi at home.

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Covid-19: Hong Kong’s needy pupils sidelined by online learning one year since class suspension

Given the exponential growth of cyberbullying and frequent use of the internet, it is necessary to discern students’ behavioural patterns in cyberspace. A decade ago, HK$63 million was allocated to a programme to fight bullying; this year, the government has earmarked HK$78 million – only HK$15 million more – for similar programmes. Funding should be allocated to research on bullying so educators can develop effective anti-bullying practices by understanding which age group is more vulnerable.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Hong Kong schools must realise that online learning and cyberbullying may go hand in hand

Letters | Hong Kong schools must realise that online learning and cyberbullying may go hand in hand