Counseling, unplugging can help if you’re being cyberbullied, expert says

When "Crazy Rich Asians" star Constance Wu became the subject of internet vitriol over tweets she made in 2019, it led her to try and take her own life. 

"I started feeling like I didn't even deserve to live anymore. That I was a disgrace to [Asian Americans], and they'd be better off without me," Wu said in a statement.

"Looking back, it's surreal that a few [direct messages] convinced me to end my own life, but that's what happened. Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER," she added.

Wu also took the step of staying away from social media—a decision, she said, that helped her immensely. Now back with new projects, including a book about her life and experiences, Wu says that she decided to share her story "so that it might help someone with theirs."

Anyone who's online can end up the victim of cyberbullying, with its effects as wounding and traumatic as the physical kind. And many of its victims are young people.

According to the National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children in the Philippines conducted by UNICEF in 2015 on young people ages 13 to 24, nearly half or 43.8% of those surveyed said they had been victims of cyberviolence.

For one expert, doing what Wu did—spending some time away from social media—can help, if being on it starts becoming deleterious to your mental and emotional well-being.

In Chino Gaston's report on 24 Oras Weekend, 24-year-old Ariel (not her real name) said that she needed to unplug after getting bashed for content she put out online.

"'Yang babaeng' yan, wag n'yo pansinin 'yan, ang pangit-pangit n'yan, p— yan,' ganoon. It's so mean. It really did affect me mentally," she said, adding that even her friends became targets of the negative comments.

Ariel also sought counseling and therapy.

Experts advise parents and guardians to be more observant of minors' social media activity, and should be able to urge them to step away from social media if it gets too negative for them. 

It will also help to be surrounded by people who love and care for you, and to talk to a school counselor or another mental health professional.

"Cocoon yourself with people who love you, who actually know you. Delete all the accounts. Filters are not enough. Sometimes it's a matter of life and death," psychologist Dr. Anna Christina Tuazon stressed.

If you are looking for someone to talk to, the National Center for Mental Health hotlines are also open at:

• 1-800-1-888-1553
• 0917-899-8727
• 0966-351-4518
• 0908-639-2672

— BM, GMA News