Luba Cheban, psychologist
Psychologist Luba Ceban, executive director of Altruism Moldova AO, notes that children’s isolation is increasingly manifested precisely in the online environment, which increases their vulnerability.
“Especially teenagers can show some signs, maybe even suicidal attempts in the online space, it is not very common, but it exists. The ‘contagion’ effect is much higher compared to the traditional environment. If the ‘Werther’ effect spreads more slowly in real life, it can be stronger on the Internet,” said the psychologist at a public debate on “Children’s access to social media: between current trends and dangers”.
She also draws attention to the impact of algorithms of social platforms on the emotional state of teenagers.
“In suicidology, where I work, it is observed that adolescents can show signs of emotional distress, but society doesn’t always notice them. And social media algorithms may, on the contrary, increase the flow of sad content instead of offering solutions that could help teens,” she said.
According to her, isolated children become more vulnerable and more often exposed to various dangerous phenomena, and dependence on social networks in some cases is comparable to addiction to drugs.
Cyberbullying is on the rise
In the same context, Cristina Deliu, Program Director of the International Center “La Strada”, presented research data according to which 11% of children have encountered violent or sexual content on the Internet, 6% have received obscene offers, 6% have been victims of cyberbullying, and 7% have made online purchases without realizing the consequences.
Experts emphasize that these risks are evolving with technology, protecting children in the digital environment remains a major challenge.
“Children most often use platforms to communicate and share content – Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, as well as Messenger and Viber. The first risk is what they see…”, stated Cristina Deliu.
She added that the phenomenon of cyberbullying in the online environment continues to grow and increasingly affects children.
