According to We Are Social and Hootsuite’s recent study, the Digital 2022 Global Overview Report, South Africa has the most addicted internet users in the world, spending an average of 10 hours and 46 minutes a day online.
Of this time, 35% (2 hours and 27 minutes on average per day) is spent on social networks. This was taken from the 16-64-year-old age group, but in my research some of the most addicted users of this medium were under the age of 16. And according to a survey conducted by Digimune of South African parents to gauge their views and concerns around children and digital threats, it emerged that over 51% of children had been cyberbullied, and 54% of children had accessed inappropriate content via digital platforms.
So with cyberbullying being so rife today, I was surprised at the reaction my requests for interviews around this topic received. Appealing through colleagues, mental health professionals, schools, social media and more, I was receiving similar feedback – cyberbullying exists and it’s dreadful, but
