It is natural for people to seek a sense of belonging. That makes peer approval as something we desire. Unfortunately, as the world enters the digital era where it seems to be no limit to almost everything, one bad habit has formed in the society. It is a tendency for us to depend on digital approval to feel good.

Youth are a group of people known to be using internet the most. Through various online platforms, we are not only able to access knowledgeable stuff, but also to see the life of others. One thing we usually forget is what we see are only the things people wanted to show us. Not knowing how the real situations are, we feel pressured to appear as “perfect” as everyone else. Here is when we started to place our self worth in the hands of others.

It became an unhealthy behaviour where a deeper sense of connection with others is replaced with shallow behaviours that produce dopamine and a dystopian reward loop in human bodies which is similar to addiction.

A single like given to our post suddenly has the ability to make us feel good about ourselves. We are addicted to that kind of thing, where it seems like the world has validated our existence. None of these things are needed. In fact, what we need is healthier ways to connect with others to avoid the abyss of unhealthy social isolation.

If not handled properly, this might lead to any form of cyberbullying. This is caused by the jealousy developed in oneself when seeing the life of others online. The acts could be sending hate messages, spreading bad rumours, creating fake accounts, or even hacking and stealing other people’s personal information, which considered as the acts of cyber crime. If these things happened, there are legal actions that should be taken in order to protect the victim’s rights and mental health. 

Youth IGF Indonesia as an organization that aspires to build a safer internet especially for the youth, realized this unhealthy habit as one dangerous phenomenon in this country. The initiative recognized by UN-IGF then created bully.id as a project to help young people struggling with cyberbullying issues. 

This project mainly aims to protect the youth from cyberbullying. 

Using YouTube as one of the most frequently accessed platforms by youth nowadays, bully.id already uploaded a video contains a series of interviews of Indonesian young people including the 2nd Runner Up of Miss Indonesia 2019, Sharon Margriet Sumolang, and their experiences with cyberbullying. Besides, they can also be found sharing messages to stand up against every acts of cyberbullying on the video. Intended for the public, the video is accessible through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90lzxzBLTY4. 

By the presence of bully.id, young people are expected to learn more about the internet and how to use it properly, also to avoid and decrease numerous acts of cyberbullying. The project also provides professionals to give confidential emotional support and legal assistance for cyberbullying victims. 

With bully.id as a generous movement from Youth IGF Indonesia, hopefully the youth of Indonesia gain more and more awareness about this happening issue. 


“Not all forms of abuse leave bruises. Until our society recognizes cyberbullying for what it is, the suffering of thousands of silent victims will continue.”, Agita Pasaribu (Founder of Bully.id, Youth IGF Ambassador for Indonesia and the TaC-Together Against Cybercrime Intl. Coordinator for Youth IGF Global Movement in APAC Region).
