Revealing with statistics that cyberbullying has reached alarming levels, especially among young people, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that one in three young people is a victim of peer bullying, while in cyberbullying this rate rises to as high as 40 percent. Tarhan emphasized that this constitutes a global mental health threat.
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the issue of peer bullying on the program “Nevzat Tarhan ile Akla Ziyan” aired on EKOTÜRK TV.
Cyberbullying has evolved from individual acts into an organized structure
Prof. Tarhan underlined that one of today’s biggest threats, cyberbullying, has gone far beyond an innocent social media squabble and has turned into a deliberate and organized tool of “psychological warfare.” He stressed that this is a global threat specifically targeting the mental health of young people.
Explaining the criteria for an act to be considered bullying, Prof. Tarhan said: “It must be systematic, intentional, repetitive, and involve a power imbalance between the parties. When these criteria are met, a clear crime has occurred. Those who commit this crime must face consequences; otherwise, a form of cyber-anarchy will prevail in which the strong crush the weak.”
Pointing out that cyberbullying has now moved beyond individual actions to take on an organized form, Prof. Tarhan continued: “A group may act like a troll army to discredit a targeted individual. This can be part of a political project or a psychological warfare tactic. The fact that the UK, back in 2015, established a social media unit under the military term ‘brigade’ is the clearest proof of how seriously states take this issue. The purpose is to spread disinformation or discredit targets.”
Cyberbullying is very common among young people
Expressing with figures the concerning prevalence of cyberbullying among young people, Prof. Tarhan noted: “Studies show that one in three young people is a victim of peer bullying. But when it comes to cyberbullying, this rate rises to around 40 percent. This is a global mental health threat.”
Highlighting its destructive effects, Prof. Tarhan added: “This situation leads to severe school refusal, a decline in academic performance, introversion, depression, and anxiety disorders among adolescents.”
He also emphasized that children who are “academically intelligent but weak in social and emotional skills” are more vulnerable to bullying and should be evaluated for possible social communication difficulties.
If there is violence at home, the child learns bullying
Stating that bullying often stems from incorrect problem-solving methods learned within the family, Prof. Tarhan said: “The primary factor in childhood aggression is live examples, namely, family attitudes. A child raised in a household where the culture is ‘When I hit, I make my point’ learns bullying as a method of claiming rights.”
Defining adolescence as a “normally schizophrenic period” during which young people discover life and develop social skills, Prof. Tarhan explained that in this stage, emotions often override logic, leading teens to act without thinking of the consequences.
“Expecting zero mistakes from an adolescent is unrealistic and, in fact, harmful. Young people have the right to make mistakes, because that is how they learn life,” said Tarhan. He added: “The family must take a clear stance, especially on fundamental issues such as violence and lying, in order to teach the child emotional and social boundaries. Just as a building has doors and windows, emotions too have boundaries.”
Goodness leaves no room for bullying
Stating that bullying is not limited to hitting or breaking things, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that violence has three different faces: physical, verbal, and social. He noted that individuals who engage in bullying generally suffer from a lack of self-confidence and try to satisfy their egos by oppressing and devaluing others.
Pointing out that the current programs developed against increasing peer bullying in schools remain incomplete as they focus on “fighting evil,” Prof. Tarhan said:“The best method of fighting darkness is to light a candle. The most effective way to prevent bullying is to increase goodness, sharing, and cooperation in classrooms. The Ministry of Education should urgently turn ‘Random Acts of Kindness Projects’ into policy.”
Prof. Tarhan cited the “Random Acts of Kindness Project” successfully implemented in schools in California as an example and said:“Students are given credit in return for working in a nursing home or a disability center. In this way, young people both witness victimization and reinforce such behaviors by tasting the moral satisfaction of doing good.”
Stating that peer bullying has become a global problem and that countries such as Finland are seeking solutions, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “In our culture, it is not only about fighting the bad, but also about strengthening and increasing the good. In an environment where goodness becomes widespread, bullying cannot survive.”
The foundation of being bullied is also laid at home
Prof. Tarhan stated that the basis of bullying often lies in the adolescent’s feeling of “not being valued as a human being” at home. Making vital warnings to families about the way they communicate with their children, he said: “Criticisms that target the child’s personality, such as ‘You will never amount to anything’ or ‘You are stupid,’ will destroy self-confidence and make the child a candidate to become a victim of bullying. The correct criticism is to say, ‘You are a good child, but this behavior of yours is not right for this reason,’ thus criticizing only the behavior and efforts, not the personality.”
Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that children raised in cultures of pressure and fear grow up with the motto “Do not ask, do not think, obey,” and that this leads to generations that are obedient but not entrepreneurial or innovative, saying: “It may result in a quiet and calm society, but at the slightest problem, there will be major explosions.”
Dialogue should replace monologue in families
Prof. Tarhan emphasized that those who engage in bullying are actually individuals who try to cover up their own weaknesses and cannot face themselves, and said: “To break this cycle, dialogue must replace monologue within the family. In our culture, there are stereotypical thoughts that are no longer suitable for our age, such as ‘The elder speaks, the younger keeps silent.’ Children raised in this way, though respectful, are also prone to becoming victims of bullying because they allow themselves to be oppressed.”
He stated that it is essential to provide these young people with assertiveness and the skills to say no. Underlining that social and emotional intelligence is as vital as academic intelligence, Prof. Tarhan stated that raising “project children” by focusing only on studying is a major mistake. “These children may be first in school, but they will fail in business life, which is like a ‘wolf’s table,’ because they have not learned how to behave and act. Social intelligence is not innate, it is a learnable skill.” he said.
Imposing legal obligations on media companies to protect children
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the state of panic among families and schools in the face of peer bullying is wrong, saying: “Let us not see peer bullying as a threat. It is a developmental opportunity for the child to learn the difficulties of life, to solve problems, and to become the captain of their own ship. Our duty is not to raise our children like greenhouse flowers, but to prepare them to swim in this stormy sea.”
Noting that the greatest victims of the pandemic period were not, contrary to popular belief, the elderly but children dragged into digital addiction, Prof. Tarhan made an urgent call to the Ministry of Transport, emphasizing that, just as in Europe, legal obligations must be imposed on media companies to protect children; otherwise, an entire generation will be lost.
Problems should be solved among children
Prof. Tarhan stated that in bullying cases, families immediately calling the other child’s family is a “primitive” and “shortcut” method, adding: “The problem lies between the two children. The priority is that, without involving the families at all, these two children learn to resolve the issue themselves under the guidance of a counselor. The main goal is not simply to resolve the incident, but to teach the child a life lesson from that incident, in other words, to create an opportunity for education. Developed education systems call this ‘silent education’; the problem is resolved unconsciously within relationships.”
Adolescents can act impulsively without thinking of the consequences
Stating that adolescents may act impulsively and without considering the consequences because the frontal lobe of their brain has not yet fully matured, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “Guidance counselors should analyze whether there is intent behind the incident, impulsivity, or an unintentional mistake. The solution should be shaped according to this analysis.”
Prof. Tarhan emphasized that, as a modern and effective form of punishment, students who engage in bullying could be given community service penalties such as “working three days a week in a nursing home and reporting it.” He suggested that such practices could also be implemented in Türkiye, adding: “The aim here is to make the young person experience guilt and remorse, to foster empathy, and to reintegrate them into society. Otherwise, punishments reinforce the adolescent’s paranoid thoughts and make them feel as if they are ‘constantly at war,’ leading to greater psychological problems.”
Children who are ignored at home…
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that at the root of bully children who take pleasure in doing harm usually lies “a lack of love combined with being raised under excessive discipline,” explaining: “These children feel worthless and learn to satisfy their egos by oppressing others. A child who is ignored at home may even think, when beaten, ‘At least they notice my existence,’ and fueled by anger, tries to control people.”
Drawing attention to the deep psychological reasons underlying bullying, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan added that the worst punishment that can be given to a child is to “ignore them.”