Author: Amna Faraz
Email: amnafaraz440@gmail.com
Email: amnafaraz440@gmail.com
Cyberbullying has seen an exponential increase in the education sector in recent years. With most of the literature originating from the developed and/or western countries, there is a dearth of reported studies in different social-cultural settings of the developing countries. In this context, the present study measures cyberbullying victimization amongst university students in Pakistan. The targeted population was six universities in the Sindh province. The data was collected using Cyberbullying Scale, employing the multistage stratified sampling technique. The study was carried out on a sample of 273 students in the age bracket of 18–25 years to ascertain cyberbullying differences in terms of demographics, digital divide, and socioeconomic variables. Cyberbullying is prevalent in the country while substantial differences were found with respect to languages, access to the Internet, and socioeconomic status with small effect sizes. Also, no significant difference was found with respect to gender, age, and the area they belong to urban or rural. The results of the study shows that there is a need for support centers in academic settings to deal with the cyberbullying situation. These centers should develop and implement anti-bullying interventions and also increase student awareness of preventive measures and coping strategies. (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2024) Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior. (StopBullying.gov, 2023) Lawmakers in Punjab submitted on Wednesday a proposal seeking a nationwide ban on social media accounts of children under the age of 16 years.The resolution, submitted by Sarah Ahmed, seeks to urge the provincial government to recommend to the federal government to introduce comprehensive legislation to regulate children’s access to social media platforms for their own safety.The resolution states that the protection of children’s physical, mental, psychological and moral development is both a constitutional and moral responsibility of the state. It also mentioned that unrestricted access to social media has exposed children to cyber bullying, sexual exploitation, psychological distress and digital addiction.The resolution calls upon the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to enforce age-verification systems across all social media platforms sites. And it also seeks to make social media companies responsible for complying with child protection standards by requiring them to remove harmful content from their sites.The resolution also recommends that federal and provincial departments launch sustained awareness campaigns for parents, teachers, and children to promote digital literacy, online safety and responsible use of the internet.In July 2025, Pakistan Senate had introduced the ‘Social Media (Age Restriction for Users) Bill, 2025‘ with the purpose to ban individuals under the age of 16 from using social media.The bill, presented by Senator Sarmad Ali and Senator Masroor Ahsan, proposed penalities for violations. Social media platforms found to be allowing underage users were to be fined from Rs50,000 to Rs5million, while people who assisted minors in creating accounts could face up to six months in jail.The bill was passed in the Senate with 34 votes in favour and 19 against it but no further updates were made on the passing the bill in the National Assembly. (Digital Rights Foundation, 2024) This study addresses the growing issue of cyberbullying in Pakistan, particularly with the rise in internet and social media use. Cyberbullying has many psychological and emotional repercussions, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies. The efficiency of various legal measures taken in Pakistan to counter cyberbullying will be analyzed. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of Pakistan’s legal frameworks, especially the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 , the effectiveness of this law is questionable. This study will analyze the shortcomings in enforcement of the PECA law and other legal measures taken by Pakistan to counter cyberbullying, which include low conviction rate of culprits, problems in collecting digital evidence, and lack of enforcement resources. Cultural and societal issues, such as stigma associated with mental health issues in society, also make victims reluctant to report cases of cyberbullying. Comparing case studies of India and the USA with that of Pakistan will help us develop a picture of distinct challenges faced by Pakistan in its legal system and society, and some recommendations will be developed accordingly. The findings of this research will indicate that an effective legal structure, development of digital literacy, and collaboration between the stakeholders is essential for dealing with cyberbullying in Pakistan. (Khan, 2026)
References:
Khan, R. N. (2026). Cyberbullying in Pakistan: Exploring effects, impacts and strategies for prevention. Journal of Pakistan Administration, 47(1), 31-60. https://doi.org/10.65755/jpa20264701-134
Cyberbullying Research Center. (2024). Cyberbullying Statistics. https://cyberbullying.org/
Digital Rights Foundation. (2024). Online Harassment in Pakistan. https://digitalrightsmonitor.pk/
StopBullying.gov. (2023). https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/
