With internet traffic expected to quadruple by 2015, spurred on by the growth in smartphones, tablet computers and other forms of web access, opportunities will grow for young people to take advantage of a wide range of educational and entertainment options. Living in a world of "always-on" digital communications should benefit everyone, but human nature being what it is, there will always be a dark and dangerous downside.
This dark side showed itself last week in the suicide of 15-year-old Canadian schoolgirl Amanda Todd, who killed herself after enduring more than a year of cyber-bullying. A month before her death she had posted a heart-wrenching video on YouTube in which she used white cards with black marker writing on them to plead for help and recount her harrowing ordeal of bullying and intimidation.
In the physical world a change of school or residence is usually enough to put an end to constant bullying. In the virtual world there is no escape and although she moved to a different town and transferred to a new school, she could not escape her online tormentors.
Her experience, while tragic, is not unique. Amanda was just the latest in a long line of young people who have been driven to despair, self harm and even suicide after being targeted by "hate" groups or individuals. Sadly, Thai students are not exempt from either taking part in cyber-bullying or from becoming victims of it and sociologists have warned that this is a trend that is worsening. Unlike conventional bullying, cyber-bullies do not have to be bigger or more powerful than their victims. They hide behind the anonymity that the internet or text messaging provides as they intimidate and hurt others.
Most schools have been slow to react and parents, some of whom are baffled by the online activities of their children, often failing to comprehend the problem. They see how busy internet cafes are and cannot fail to notice the number of school age youngsters playing computer games, hour after hour and week after week. Other students will be immersed in chat rooms or updating their status on social networks and it is more than likely that some will be harassing fellow students they have taken a dislike to or become jealous of.
Such messages contain insults about sexual orientation, skin colour, social status and physical appearance. Racial, sexual and ethnic slurs are the most common and these often go beyond silly name-calling. A clique will band together and engage in vicious pack-hunting, which is as nasty as any street clash between gangs from rival colleges or initiation rite. At least hazing is over in a day and there is usually no lasting psychological damage.
One survey carried out in Britain showed that 20% of youngsters aged eight to 15 had been cyber-bullies, sending abuse to other students or uploading untrue comments about them to the internet. A breakdown of those polled showed that one in seven children had been bullied on the internet while one in 12 had had problems with social networking websites. As many as 5% of those questioned had had their identities stolen.
Significantly, 64% of students, or the majority, did not tell their parents about what had happened on the internet. That was a mistake. Hazing is less frequent here now following an outcry several years ago after it had been taken to excess, causing accidental death. Cyber-bullying is just as illegal but the practice will continue until parents and schools take decisive action against it and that will not happen if the victims keep quiet. Ignoring it merely paves the way for another tragedy, one that could take place in Thailand.