Cancun, Q.R. — The state of Quintana Roo ranks 11th nationally for cyberbullying. In 2020, over 46,000 cases of adolescents were reported bullied online. Renata Díaz Barreiro Castro of Early Institute says 25 percent of adolescents in the state experience cyberbullying.
“Quintana Roo reflects a high incidence rate, which tells us that there were 316 cyberbullying cases for every 1,000 adolescents, and although the state is not in first place, it is an alarming figure.
“The state occupies the 11th position at the national level and will continue to climb if the appropriate strategies are not addressed or created,” she said.
Figures for men and women cases are comparable with 23,535 females cases being reported in 2020 compared to 22,938 reported cyberbullying cases for men.
“The lack of complaints is worrying since many victims are afraid of reprisals. Cyberbullies have been known to engage in these practices even when they are not in the state, further complicating the situation,” she said.
Díaz Barreiro explained that the forced confinement on adolescents to spend more time in front of a computer doesn’t help.
“An important factor was the lockdown, which forced teenagers to lock themselves in their homes, spend more time online and therefore be easy prey for cyberbullies.”
