PERAI – Having previously fallen victim to cyberbullying, health influencer Dr S. Malar Santhi has praised the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) ‘Klik Dengan Bijak’ online safety campaign, describing it as timely given the rising prevalence of cases in the country.
The issue of cyberbullying has garnered national attention in recent months, particularly following the tragic death of TikTok influencer Rajeswary Appahu in July, who suffered severe online harassment.
In response, Putrajaya has committed to introducing stricter laws to combat cybercrime.
Dr Malar, who manages the ‘Celoteh Dr Malar’ social media accounts with over half a million followers on TikTok, emphasised the campaign’s importance, citing the rise of fake news on social media as another pressing concern.
“It is very important that we prioritise safety when using social media as we see a lot of problems such as predators, online harassment, online grooming that affect the youths.
“I congratulate MCMC and I hope that this ‘Klik Dengan Bijak’ campaign will continue and grow so that more people can know what it means by clicking smartly,” she told Scoop at the Generasi Ada Idea (GEN-AI) carnival hosted by the MCMC at Gravitas Business Centre yesterday.
The Generasi Ada Idea (GEN-AI) carnival featured e-sports tournaments, Muay Thai matches, booths by state agencies, Bernama, and MCMC, as well as food stalls.
This day-long event yesterday aimed to boost public awareness of current issues, promote healthy lifestyles, and build a sense of unity among youths through its interactive programmes.
Earlier, Malar participated in a talk session featuring content creators, where she shared her experiences with cyberbullying during the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically while creating content on vaccines and inoculation programmes, which attracted criticism from anti-vaxxers.
These anti-vaxxers would inundate her live streams with vulgar and sexist comments, and even create social media pages featuring edited photos of her and her family members.
“It really affected my life where I would get emotionally disturbed when I see these content. But it was a blessing in disguise as I realised that I had a strong support system around me.
“I had a friend who became an administrator (of my accounts) where she would be blocking the (hateful) comments while my husband would give emotional support by saying that I did well (with my content),” she added.
Cyberbullying and youths
Dr Malar’s concerns regarding cyberbullying resonate strongly with the youth, particularly the college students who attended the day-long carnival.
A student from Kolej Politeknik Seberang Perai, who preferred to be known as Safwan, 18, said that cyberbullying is a serious issue that can cause significant emotional and mental harm to its victims.
“I am speaking from my experience as I had friends who fell victim to cyberbullying,” the electrical and electronic engineering diploma student told Scoop when met at the carnival.
Meanwhile, another Politeknik Seberang Perai student, Nafis Azli, 20, noted that he has witnessed rampant cyberbullying on TikTok.
He commented that the impacts of cyberbullying can be detrimental to the mental health of victims, often leading them into depression.
The students praised the MCMC’s campaign for encouraging Malaysians to exercise caution and respect while using social media. – November 3, 2024