16.8% of internet users in Mexico have experienced some form of cyberbullying

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A rough 16.8% of Mexico’s internet community declared having experienced some form of cyberbullying or harassment, though the number was slightly higher among women (17.7%) than men (16%) , according to the results of the 2017 cyberbullying module (MOCIBA) revealed earlier this week by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) .

Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. The victim is exposed repeatedly to negative actions meant to cause harm or stress on the part of one or more persons or aggressors.

Some of the most common cyberbullying victimization situations experienced by Mexicans are: The reception of defamatory messages (40.1%), being contacted through false identities (31.4%) and the reception of offensive telephone calls (27.5%) .

Women in general are more likely to fall victim to online sexual advances (30.8%) as compared with men (13.1%). Furthermore, 23.9% of women reported having received unsolicited pictures or videos of a sexual nature , while only 14.7% of men reported having suffered the same type of cyberharassment.

Some specific situations related to cyberbullying and harassment that were taken into account in the module include: Receiving defamatory messages or phone calls; the disclosure of personal information, pictures, or videos (true or false) with the intention of harming the victim; receiving sexual advances; someone impersonating the victim to send false information; being contacted through false identities; having their online activities monitored by a third party; being provoked to react in a negative way, and receiving unsolicited pictures or videos of a sexual nature.

Adolescents and young people are particularly exposed to these problems: One of every five internet users between 12 and 29 years of age reported some type of cyberbullying . The state that registered the highest prevalence of cyberbullying was Tabasco, with 22.1%, followed by Veracruz, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, and Hidalgo.

Both men and women who experienced cyberbullying or harassment in the 12 months prior to the implementation of the survey showed a higher internet use –around an hour– than those who didn’t fall victim to cyberbullying.

54% of internet users of age 12 to 59 who declared having experienced cyberbullying in the 12 months prior to the survey experienced more than one of the 10 situations taken into account in the module, whereas 46% had only experienced one of them.

In 58.8% of cyberbullying cases, victims are unable to identify the aggressor in question

. However, in 46.4% of cases, cyber-bullies are unknown to the victim

Among those who managed to identify their aggressor’s gender, men were the most common aggressors, both for men and women surveyed.

Around 68.3% of internet users surveyed reported to have protected their computer, tablet, or smartphone in some way following the event, whereas 31.7% decided not to take any further action to enhance their internet device security.