Effect of Covid-19 on cyberbullying and technology-related risks
Description
The transfer of social, school and working life to a digital dimension due to the current pandemic has disproportionately increased risks and threats of the Internet: cyberbullying, sexting, online grooming and revenge porn. The pandemic has also seen an increase in paedophilia. The innate desire to proudly show our children to friends and relatives, given the impossibility of social contact, is being fulfilled through the phenomenon of sharenting. This term refers to parents sharing photos of their children on various social networks. Once these pictures are on the Internet, they circulate and can easily become child pornography.
Another phenomenon that has increased during the pandemic is Internet addiction. Our primary biological imperative is to connect with others. This directly affects the release of dopamine in the reward system, explaining why social media, creating connections between people, can be addictive. This, of course, has an even more powerful effect at a time when social contacts are banned. Cyberbullying and disorders resulting from misuse of technology are issues to be addressed in terms of mental health prevention. Being victims of cyberbullying is a highly traumatic experience. And equally traumatic can be the experience of the bully, who, in many cases, has lost control of what initially appeared to be a trivial joke or a game online. Both bullies and victims can benefit from EMDR psychotherapy.
Processing these traumatic events is fundamental to have a greater sense of self-efficacy in one's life. The EMDR approach is also important to process past experiences that have created low self-esteem, leading the victim and the bully to fall into the Web’s trap.
Another phenomenon that has increased during the pandemic is Internet addiction. Our primary biological imperative is to connect with others. This directly affects the release of dopamine in the reward system, explaining why social media, creating connections between people, can be addictive. This, of course, has an even more powerful effect at a time when social contacts are banned. Cyberbullying and disorders resulting from misuse of technology are issues to be addressed in terms of mental health prevention. Being victims of cyberbullying is a highly traumatic experience. And equally traumatic can be the experience of the bully, who, in many cases, has lost control of what initially appeared to be a trivial joke or a game online. Both bullies and victims can benefit from EMDR psychotherapy.
Processing these traumatic events is fundamental to have a greater sense of self-efficacy in one's life. The EMDR approach is also important to process past experiences that have created low self-esteem, leading the victim and the bully to fall into the Web’s trap.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Mastronardi, C. (2021, June). Effect of Covid-19 on cyberbullying and technology-related risks. Invited symposium at the 20th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Virtual
Collection
Citation
“Effect of Covid-19 on cyberbullying and technology-related risks,” Francine Shapiro Legacy Library, accessed February 16, 2026, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/26951.