What is Digital Self-Harm? how to help

Digital self-harm is the biggest problem in this modern age. It occurs when people abuse or tease others on social media or place any negative comments on others’ posts. This problem is increasing slowly nowadays. People hurt their bodies, their emotions, and their mental condition changes. In this situation, they feel different mental problems with the change of feelings and mental stress. The person becomes weak mentally and physically. Sometimes this leads to suicide or another big issue. 

Definition of Digital Self-Harm

Digital self-harm is the meaning of when someone comments negative or abusive messages to themselves without others knowing. It only happens on social media, through text messages or other online chat apps and accounts. Many people bully themselves. Many times, digital self-harm looks unusual, but the person who is bullied knows how difficult this is. It is only treated by personal struggles. With this, they feel uncomfortable, have lots of insecurities, feel insecure and unwanted, and their behavior is changed.

Reasons for Digital Self-Harm

Digital self-harm is increasing day by day with the excessive use of the internet and different social media platforms. Many reasons make you and any person engage in this harmful digital self-harming.

• Low Self-Esteem: In that case, you always think that you are alone and no one loves you, and you are lower than any other person. You think you are not a good person, not even anyone like you.
• Mental Health Issues: When you think you are lower and always think about bad things, you become physically weak and face depression, anxiety, and other health issues that make you weaker. You can also think negatively and behave badly toward other people.
• Seeking Attention or Support: Many people do bad things to get attention from other people, and need more love and care.
• Self-Punishment: Many people always behave badly with herself bad when they feel they have done something wrong.

Many kids feel stress and depression from school and friends. This becomes more dangerous when their class fellows are bullied and teased. 

Explanation of Traditional Self-Harm and Digital Self-Harm?

Traditional self-harm means to cut, burn, or harm yourself for anything, but in digital self-harm harm it happens when someone posts negatively and bullies themselves on social media. This is emotion, and traditional self-harm is an action. So you should avoid both of these problems. Both are very harmful to yourself. It affects your body mentally and emotionally. When someone is engaged with this problem, they become mentally and physically sick. They hurt themselves without any reason. They hate themselves and get hurt by posting bad things.

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Signs of a Person Who Is Engaged in Digital Self-harm

Sometimes it is very difficult to find out that the kid is facing digital self-harm because the kid does not show their problem. Some signs help you find the affected person.

Posting Negative Comments About Themselves:

Sometimes, you notice that some people comment and post bad things about themselves. It means they are facing digital self-harm.

• Receiving Anonymous Hate Messages:

Many times, they receive bad messages, so they get involved in them.

• Sudden Mood Changes:

If your kid, friend is online or feeling sad or alone and posts a bad thing, it means they are facing digital self-harm.

• Avoiding Conversations About Social Media :

When someone asks about online activities, they feel hesitant and do not show them.

Effect of Digital Self-Harm

• Emotional Pain – if you read bad messages, it makes you feel worse.
• Lower Self-Esteem: when the person reads bad comments and messages, they feel they’re lower than others and believe in he/she is so bad and hateful.
• Higher Risk of Suicide: Sometimes this becomes a serious condition and leads to attempted suicide and other incidents.
• Pulling Away from Others: They feel low and hateful, so they do not meet with anyone and are ashamed.
• Getting Stuck in a Bad Habit: if you one time stuck in this once, it is very hard to avoid this. 

Help the affected Person.

When you see someone who is suffering from this digital self-harm, you should help them avoid this issue. Here are some ways that help you:

• First of all, you should go and talk to him with kind words. Convince them to openly talk with you. 
• Sometimes therapy and counselling help to find out the main problem of the engaged person.
• You can give them different positive ways and help to check out positive content instead of negative content. 
• Further, you can assist them in engaging in positive qualities. Keep an eye on your baby’s online activity and which kind of apps your baby uses. 

Conclusion

This is a very dangerous and serious problem that affects mostly your young kids who use social media. It happens when your kid posts negative things about himself. Many reasons cause your baby to be affected by digital self harm as feeling low self-confidence, hating themselves, and needing the attention of others. If you think someone is facing this problem, you should help and support that person. Talk with them softly. Build their confidence and encourage them. Sometimes it happens when parents love one child more than the other. So one kid felt hesitant. So you should help them mentally by giving proper guidance.