Ten per cent of high school students said they have been harassed through emails, websites or blogs, a recent survey by the Hyogo Prefectual Board of Education showed, according to Yahoo Xtra News. Schoolyard bullying has long bedeviled Japan and, as the global trend observed also in other countries, has taken a high-tech twist in recent years.
Most cyber bullying in Japan, where 96 per cent of high school students have their own mobile phone, is conducted through mobile phones with Internet and emailing capabilities. Common methods include emailing pictures showing victims’ genitals to classmates and posting insults on class websites.
Experts say high-tech bullying is far harder for parents and teachers to police than physical violence because of the anonymity of cyber space and a lack of technical knowledge. The obscurity of cyber bullying is making the problem of bullying, which schools have long been accused of sweeping under the carpet, even harder to address.
Yahoo Xtra News says the problem drew public attention in July, when an 18-year-old boy leapt to his death at his high school in Kobe, western Japan, after classmates posted a nude photo of him on a website and repeatedly sent him emails demanding money.
The school first denied bullying had occurred but finally and reluctantly admitted that was the case after some of the teen’s classmates were arrested. Schools and other authorities in japan are famous for whitewashing the bullying issue.
Apparently some Japanese schools and parents are already using email filtering software and special settings on mobile phones and computers that protect children from harassment by blocking messages sent through suspect servers or IP addresses. But experts agree that the solution to cyber-bullying requires more than the latest technology.
“In terms of technology, email filtering systems are effective,” said Motohiro Hasegawa, associate professor of Department of Information and Culture at Kinjo Gakuin University. “In the end, the problem is not about technology — it is about humans.”
