Student leaders are tasking their peers to strengthen their self-belief as a counter measure to negative behavioural patterns associated with internet usage that impact their self-perception.

The challenge was thrown down in a wide-ranging panel discussion with Jamaul Hall, Munro student and president of the National Secondary Students Council; Jhanae Francis, senior prefect at St George’s College and Khijani Williams, a student at Kingston College.

The teenagers shared experiences and thoughts on online behaviours at Flow’s Safer Internet Day Teen Summit 2022 on February 8.

The Biggest Issues – Cyberbullying and Peer Pressure

Responding to the question on what are some of the main problems being encountered by teenagers in the virtual space, Munro College’s Jamaul Hall listed “cyber bullying” without missing a beat.

Hall added: “It comes in several forms and it’s one of the main form of attacks that students face.”

He shared examples of various reports that his organisation is aware of including a recent case of revenge pornography.

Although not a victim of cyberbullying, Jhanae Francis agreed with the prevalence. 

“I’ve never been a victim of it (cyberbullying), but I’ve seen some people who have had some terrible experiences to deal with.”

Noting behavioural changes in the space, where the desire to be like others can influence changes, Williams stated, “There are some who feel that they must always be up to the time,” as he addressed the issue of peer pressure.

He was supported by Hall who cited the example of the thought process among today’s youth that one must be driving by age 16.

“We have to be able to combat these things first before we’re able to deal with digital peer pressure,” the Munro College student said.

Pointing to the dangers of peer pressure, Francis added that students fear feeling “left out”, due to affordability.

“We have to work together to make it (internet) safer for each other,” Francis contended. “The internet should be fun…and we have to be happy with who we are.”

Responsibility of Social Influencers

The responsibility of social media influencers was also raised, given the impact they have on their followers, many of whom fall within the teenage/youth/adolescent age group.  Francis pointed to social influencers and the reasons youth may want to mimic their path.

“They have influence on young persons, especially,” she said. “Some (young people) are insecure and want to walk in other people’s shoes.”

Williams also added a word of caution: “When people have influence, they should be cognisant of what they’re putting out there.  They’re interacting with persons between the ages of 15-25 and they should be mindful of this,” the KC student said.

The candid discussion was welcomed by students online in the Zoom chat room who concurred with the sentiments.

As the discussion wrapped, Williams made the call for collaboration in creating a safer online space, noting that, “Safer Internet Day means we should have a platform where we shouldn’t have to deal with certain things like cyber bullying and peer pressure. Government and private sector should play a role in making it safe.”

Flow marked Safer Internet Day with a week of activities focused on creating a safer online space for all.  The full Teen Summit may be viewed on the company’s YouTube channel – @FlowJamaica.