Latest news with #cyberbullying
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
No-nonsense mum confronts her daughter's school bullies
A furious mother, frustrated that her child's school was doing 'nothing' to stop online harassment, decided to confront her daughter's bullies in person. Sapphire, an Auckland-based musician and mother of four, shared a video last month showing her confronting her daughter's alleged cyberbullies at their school. The footage shows Sapphire speaking to two girls while two adults, believed to be teachers, stand between them. 'Why are you posting my daughter online? Huh?' Sapphire asked one of the girls, who sat quietly behind an adult woman. 'Do you know how many people die from suicide?' A teacher then wedged himself between Sapphire and the pair. He warned if Sapphire didn't leave, he would call the police. 'Call the police. I have proof she's cyberbullying my daughter,' Sapphire told him. Turning back to the sitting girl, the mother continued: 'Don't fat-shame her online. Why you quiet? 'Do you know how many kids have died from cyberbullying? It's not nice.' Sapphire then turned her attention toward another female student, who stood to the side. 'Why are you bullying my daughter?' she asked. 'She hasn't posted nothing about you but you're calling her a fat hippo online. 'I have the screenshots. You sent it to everybody, this post.' The male teacher moved to stand between Sapphire and both of the students and told her, 'You can't do this here'. 'This is how I deal with it. What're the police going to do?' Sapphire answered. The teacher said: 'I don't know. What're you going to do? Sapphire shot back: 'If I have to come back, it won't be pretty.' The shocking video ended with Sapphire walking away from the conflict. Hundreds of Aussies applauded the mother for taking matters into her own hands. 'This exactly how it should be handled! This is how bullies get away with it. Those teachers are always protecting them and hiding bullying under the rugs!' one wrote. 'Sometimes parents of bullied children get so fed up that this is how they handle the situation,' another said. 'You go mama! Stand up against bullying. Parents of bullies, do better,' another wrote. 'It's absolutely horrible the things these bullies say and do. I'm so glad your daughter has an advocate to stand up for her,' another said. However, some commenters called out Sapphire for directly confronting the children. 'Doing the same thing to the poor kid. Shocking behavior as a parent,' one wrote. Daily Mail Australia contacted Sapphire for further comment.
Free Malaysia Today
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Artistes confront harsh reality of cyberbullying, cancel culture
Uyaina Arshad, former host of programmes such as 'Nona' and 'Wanita Hari Ini', recently spoke out against cyberbullying on social media. (Uyaina Arshad Facebook pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The online bullying of local artistes, especially women, has become an increasingly worrisome issue as open insults, repeated mockery and cancel culture continue to spread in the entertainment world. Among those who have been the targets of cyberattacks is actress and TV host Saidatul Naseha Uyaina Arshad, better known as Uyaina Arshad. The 33-year-old recently took to social media to share her experience and to remind the community that cyberbullying is no small matter. 'If I don't defend myself, who else will?' she told Bernama. Uyaina, who receives strong support from her family and friends, acknowledged that others may not be as fortunate as she is. 'Some are really hurt, some are depressed, some feel alone,' said the former host of 'Nona', 'Wanita Hari Ini' and 'MeleTOP'. 'I knew going in that these negativities, such as insults and false accusations, are part and parcel of being in the entertainment industry,' she said. 'Some people won't like you just because they don't like you.' Among the most hurtful messages she has received were those targeting her family. 'Some people questioned how my mother raised me. Some people told stories about me when I was in school, even though they never knew me.' Still, she is thankful for the messages of support from others in her industry. 'Many have messaged me privately, showing me the bullying messages they too received. But some of them don't dare to speak up,' she added. 'I wish to urge my friends who are in the same boat to defend themselves.' Local celebrities who have reportedly been victims of cyberbullying include Mawar Rashid, Wani Kayrie, Ara Johari, Aina Abdul and Janna Nick. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is reported to have taken down over 8,700 cyberbullying-related content over the past year – a significant increase from the 1,763 items removed the year prior. Cyberbullying can lead to both short- and long-term psychological effects, experts caution. (Envato Elements pic) Meanwhile, academic Nur Haniz Mohd Nor said the act of shaming celebrities publicly can majorly affect the mental wellbeing of the artistes involved. According to the director of a doctorate programme in communication and media studies, the psychological effects experienced by victims can occur in the short and long term. 'They might initially ignore the bullying, but if it persists, it will have an impact on the artistes' mental health and work performance. This isn't fair, because they are also people who are trying to live their lives as best as possible,' she said. Nur Haniz also touched on other aspects that contribute to the toxicity of social media. ''Fan culture' can cause other fans to attack non-fans or anyone who disagrees with their views, while 'cancel culture' is the act of openly criticising and boycotting someone when they are considered to have committed a social or moral offence. 'Group attacks or 'dogpiling' also occur when celebrities are simultaneously bombarded with negative comments, threats, and excessive use of memes,' she explained. Another expert, Kamal Affandi Hashim, believes that the perception of celebrities being 'public property' is a primary reason why this group is targeted. 'Some people feel they have the right to criticise, insult and denounce celebrities openly,' Kamal, a crime analyst, said. 'Freedom of speech should not be misinterpreted as a licence to insult, defame or attack the personal lives of others, including celebrities.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Cox Mobile Survey Shows 86% of Sandwich Generation Say Managing Online Safety for Teens and Aging Parents Adds Stress to Their Lives
ATLANTA, July 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- They're called the sandwich generation, those in their late 30s to 50s juggling teenagers and aging parents, and they're feeling the pressure when it comes to digital safety. Connecting the Digital Dots: Online Habits and Safety Concerns Across Three Generations, a new survey from Cox Mobile shows that 86% of this cohort feels managing online safety for their children and parents adds stress to their lives. Nearly 1 in 3 say that stress can feel overwhelming. Why it Matters: Worries are turning into reality. Online predators, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and identity theft top the list of concerns for those in the sandwich generation. When it comes to their teens: Roughly one in three respondents report that their teens have been exposed to inappropriate content over the past 12 months. More than a quarter have experienced cyberbullying. 20% encountered online predators. And for their parents: More than a third said that their parents had experienced phishing scams, malware, and/or data breaches in the last year. 60% are worried about the risk of identity theft. Across the board, respondents consider social media one of the greatest threats to online safety. "Technology has incredible potential to foster connection, learning, and independence across all generations, but families shouldn't have to navigate the digital landscape alone," said Jill Murphy, chief content officer at Common Sense Media. "When we equip parents and caregivers with practical tools and knowledge, digital safety becomes less overwhelming and more integrated into everyday family life." Some Good News: Most sandwich generation respondents report discussing online safety with their teens and parents regularly – many do so daily or several times a week. They are coaching them to take more precautions, such as creating strong, unique passwords (62%), enabling multi-factor authentication (56%), and removing unsafe apps and channels altogether (53%). "Today's families are more digitally connected than ever, and for the sandwich generation, this means managing technology use and ensuring safety for themselves, their teens, and their aging parents," said Colleen Langner, Chief Residential Officer of Cox Communications. "Our Cox Mobile research shows that this generation is actively taking steps to protect their families online. We're here to make that job a little easier for people of all ages with tools and guidance that help make online safety feel less overwhelming and more manageable." Additional Findings and Resources: Beyond the Sandwich Generation, Connecting the Digital Dots reveals how teens and older adults are navigating screen time, social media, mental health, and AI use. To view the full findings and access online safety resources, visit About the Connecting the Digital Dots Survey Cox Communications commissioned a blind survey of U.S. teens, seniors, and the sandwich generation in May of 2025 to learn more about their online habits and safety concerns. Respondents to the survey included a total of 500 teens between the ages of 13 and 17, 500 seniors aged 65+, and 600 parents (ages 39 – 59) of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 with aging parents. The margin of error for this survey is +/-4% for each age group. About Cox Communications Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. As the largest private broadband company in America, we own network infrastructure that reaches more than 30 states. Our fiber-powered wireline and wireless connections are available to more than 12 million homes and businesses and support advanced cloud and managed IT services nationwide. We're the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox that is dedicated to empowering others to build a better future for the next generation. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cox Communications
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Radio star Ben Fordham airs a WILD theory about what Wayne Carey was doing just before viral 'toilet tryst' video of him in a trendy Melbourne wine bar
Radio presenter Ben Fordham has aired a wild theory about Wayne Carey's now viral alleged 'toilet tryst' video, claiming he was trying to save a woman's life. The North Melbourne great found himself at the centre of a media storm last week after a video went viral online, allegedly appearing to show a woman leaving a bathroom at a trendy Melbourne bar, with another man following her out of the bathroom around 20 seconds later. A voice behind the camera can be heard saying: 'She looks embarrassed.' Another adds: 'What's he doing in there?' Carey, 54, has found himself at the centre of a media storm over the viral video, having confessed he was the man in the clip, before blasting the actions of the two women who appear to have taken the video. He branded it 's*** shaming' and 'cyberbullying', while both parties have insisted that there was no 'tryst' in the toilets. They have both contacted the police and are seeking legal advice on the matter. However, 2GB presenter Fordham issued a hypothesis, claiming that the Melbourne woman in the video, who has since been identified as Kate Aston, had been choking on some food, with Carey entering the bathroom to help her. The woman at the centre of a viral video with AFL star Wayne Carey has hit out at those who filmed her and revealed that she's suffered 'immense distress'. Kate Aston, 38, (pictured) a Melbourne marketing and communications executive, has described the dissemination of the clip as 'a deliberate act of bullying' 'He could have been down there in the latrines and he could have heard someone in a state of distress... she might have been choking on a prawn or an oyster or some piece of food,' Fordham told ex-Geelong player Sam Newman on his podcast You Cannot Be Serious. 'The Duck [Carey] might have rushed in there and given her the Heimlich manoeuvre. 'And he might have been pumping and thrusting to remove the prawn or the obstruction or whatever it might have been. He might have saved a life. 'That's the way I view the Duck. I view him as the good guy, not the bad guy.' Carey, who had been enjoying an evening out at the Toorak Cellars bar in Armadale, in Melbourne's south east, fumed about the viral video on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast last week, claiming: ''I've gone through disbelief, sadness, I've gone through anger. 'This woman has been thrown into this just because I could kick a footy.' Newman had asked Carey prior to recording the podcast whether there was truth to the allegations that were being levelled against him. 'I said: 'I'd like to ask you, did you know the girl before you went down to the latrines, and were you in the same, not the same cubicle, were you in the same enclosure and speak to her there?' Newman said. 'He said: 'No.' I said: 'Good, well, that's good'. 'She was there, she walked out. He said: 'When I walked out, I was on the phone, I was on the phone to my partner, Jess'. 'And I said: 'Good.' It looked as though. He said there was absolutely nothing in it. The girl has said there was nothing in it, so he's taking umbrage at being accused of being a home breaker.' Carey took a brief trip to Sydney last week, jetting to New South Wales on Thursday before flying back on Saturday. He cut a relaxed and unbothered figure as he was pictured walking through the airport. Fordham, meanwhile, replied to Newman's revelation, revealing he sympathised with Carey's frustrations over the matter. 'If that's the case, I can understand why he's filthy, but I just couldn't, I was waiting for you to ask him the question on the podcast, and I don't know whether you just didn't want to become roadkill because he was on a bit of a mission at the time... but that's what I wanted to know. 'Only because he spoke about it for so long and he was going into so much detail. I just couldn't help but wonder, did you happen to step into the same cubicle or not? Obviously, he didn't. Two people can walk out of the [toilet] in the same direction a few minutes apart, having spent no time together at that location. Fordham added: 'It's a gross invasion of someone's privacy and it affects a lot of people.' The AFL great (pictured with Jessica Paulke) revealed he has contacted police about the footag and is now going to 'let the law take care of it' Carey, meanwhile, hit out at the two people who had filmed him leaving the toilets. He added that he knew who the people were but was reluctant to reveal their names, adding that he would be leaving the matter to his lawyers and the police. 'You've got two vile, disturbing, probably p**sed women who want to do this to another woman,' Carey said last week on the podcast. 'That's all they were doing, they were s**t-shaming another woman. 'If two men had done that, they would be raked over hot coals; it would be the biggest story going around.' Carey added that his partner, Jessica Paulke had spoken to the woman in the video to offer her support to Aston over the matter. 'But because it's two women doing it to another woman … you don't know what's going on, this other woman has had all sorts of stuff going on in her life, I've since found out. 'You talk about vile and disgusting, what they've done and who they have affected by a few sh**s and giggles drinking their chardonnay, sitting up there, doing whatever. Aston posted a lengthy statement to Instagram Stories on Thursday, revealing that she had initially chosen to remain silent to protect her professional reputation and her mental health, but has come forward to hold those who released the video to account 'Once again, I'm not going to name them because that would be as pathetic as what they are. I'll let the law take care of it.' The woman who was seen leaving the bathroom before Carey has also blasted the 'malicious actions' of the two women who took the video clip. Kate Aston, 38, is a marketing and communications executive from Melbourne. She described the clip as 'a deliberate act of bullying' in a lengthy statement on Instagram. She revealed that she had chosen to stay silent to protect her reputation and mental health. But over the weekend, she spoke out to hold those who had published the video to account. 'Overnight, from footage of me simply exiting a toilet at a bar, I've had my life turned upside down,' she wrote. 'What has happened to me could happen to anyone, and no one should have to go through what I have been put through – the damage, the speculation, the impact on my livelihood, all from the malicious actions of a small few.' 'At a time when I am navigating my next career move and visibility matters, the personal and professional toll has been immense,' she said. 'Who would want to employ me, date me, be associated with me? What's left now that this has all happened to me?' Carey, who made 244 appearances for North Melbourne between 1989 and 2001 before moving to play for Adelaide for a season, added that he would be following through 'to the tenth degree' to ensure that a penalty is handed down. Carey, meanwhile, has explained that he will be seeking legal advice on the matter 'I could sit there and film people going in and out of toilets. Who does she think she is, Morgan Freeman narrating a wild life (documentary)? (She said) "I heard people grunting like pigs". Completely made-up crap. 'These two women think it's OK to film her and slut shame her online and post it online. What sort of penalty should these two women get? 'We are speaking and we will follow this through to the tenth degree. I'm blown away that women in their 40s could think this was a good idea. How would they explain this to their children? 'This is women being cruel to another woman. They have shamed another woman and it is so wrong. It happens far too often and it doesn't get called out. Men do it and it gets called out as it should. Let's see where this goes to from here.'
ABC News
21-07-2025
- ABC News
Distress rates from school bullying higher than COVID times, with children as young as 10 facing online and in-person abuse
Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. School bullying has reached devastating new peaks in Australia, with figures showing rising rates of children as young as 10 expressing serious emotional distress following online and in-person abuse. Crisis counselling service Kids Helpline is sounding the alarm, with its data showing a rising proportion of calls from children aged 10 to 14 who are experiencing bullying and having thoughts of suicide. While health data indicates these thoughts very rarely translate into actions, Kids Helpline chief executive Tracy Adams said they were a key measure of mental health. "[What] we are really seeing over the last five years is significant growth in the level of distress and it's actually higher levels of distress among our younger children," she said. "The nature is now online and offline. So young people are still being physically assaulted, they're still being verbally abused. They're also being isolated and we're seeing that play out in the online environment as well." It coincides with the latest release of data from the landmark Australian Child Maltreatment study that shows more than one in four (28.7 per cent) adults reported being bullied at school, and these rates were not improving for each new generation. The new data is backed by figures from the office of the eSafety Commissioner, which show school-age cyberbullying complaints surged 456 per cent in the past five years — from 536 to 2,978 — and in 2024 nearly half of reports involved children under the age of 13. The office said it was increasingly dealing with deepfakes involving pornographic depictions of classmates or teachers that it must refer to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The AFP's Centre to Counter Child Exploitation reported a 27.7 per cent rise in reports from the commissioner relating to child image-based abuse, sextortion and cyberbullying in the two years to 2024 from adults and minors. Charlie Ford was just 10 years old when she was first bullied through school messaging apps. By the time she was 13, it had escalated to threats of physical violence, exclusion at school, and gossip being spread over social media videos. At one point, her mother, Serena Ford, said she overheard school friends telling her daughter on a video chat to self-harm. When she spoke to the girls, it was met with verbal abuse. Over time, Charlie said her mental health declined significantly, and she would try to escape the car on the drive to school. "I didn't really want to go to school because of all the threats," she said. "I'd be hearing things from people and that would just make me break down in tears." Serena said it was devastating to watch the spark go out of her once bright little girl. "I had nights where I had to sleep with her because she was just so upset," she said. But after reaching out for help, Charlie got support, and the 16-year-old is now enrolled in distance education. In February, the federal government launched an Anti-Bullying Rapid Review, with findings due to be handed down later this year just as the social media ban for under 16s comes into effect. Co-chair Dr Charlotte Keating said they had received more than 1,600 responses from schools, teachers, parents and young people from around the country. "We've been tasked with putting together potential models for what a consistent national standard could look like to respond to bullying in schools," she said. Serena Ford said each time Charlie moved schools, the institutions' investigations were slow and protracted, and their responses ineffective. "They just kept putting it on Charlie as in, 'she is the problem; she needs to be more resilient'." At one point the family were threatened with breaking the law for not sending Charlie to school but were given no help to find her an alternative place. Serena said schools failed to acknowledge the overlap between schools, friendships and technology. "They told me that 'it's happening outside of school, so it's not their problem'." Ms Adams said their figures indicated Australia was not getting its anti-bullying policies right. In 2024, Kids Helpline received more than 3,500 calls and online contacts about bullying alone. The proportion that involved a child experiencing bullying and having thoughts of suicide was higher than at the peak of COVID lockdowns, which was a "critical mental health concern". "When we see levels of distress to the nature that Kids Helpline is getting, we see tragic consequences," she said. The latest release of data from the Australian Child Maltreatment study also raised questions about the country's responses to school bullying. The study of 8,500 Australians found despite at least two decades of extensive anti-bullying policies in schools, there was "no meaningful change" in the number of people experiencing bullying in their childhood over the past five decades. Lead author Dr Hannah Thomas, from the University of Queensland, said childhood bullying had been linked to higher rates of depression and other mental illness. "Those mental health harms happen not only just during childhood, but they tend to follow people into adulthood as well," she said. The study did find the duration of the bullying was shorter among the most recent generation of 16 to 24-year-olds. Dr Thomas said this suggested some anti-bullying policies "might be working". The Australian Child Maltreatment Study found the main reason people were bullied was because of their height or weight, followed by race or ethnicity, disability, sexuality and gender identity. Kids Helpline said reports to their counsellors suggested bullying happened both in-person and online and could range from physical assault to the use of anonymous online comments. New technologies were compounding the problem, according to the experts. The eSafety Commissioner's office said cyberbullying reports included sending hurtful messages, sharing embarrassing photos, spreading gossip, exclusion from chats and catfishing. "We're not teaching young people to deal with differences with kindness," Ms Adams said. "We see adults behaving poorly online. So we have to ask ourselves, as adults, are we role modelling?" Ms Adams said amid the troubling figures Kids Helpline was hopeful about a rise in young people seeking help. "We've got to continue to promote the strategies that young people have available," she said. Charlie and Serena said they were speaking out because they wanted young people to have more education about how to interact and more support for parents to get their children help. "I really want to make a change because nobody deserves to be treated the way I was treated," Charlie said.
