Online Behaviour and Health

Everything you post, comment on or share online is online behaviour, and it raises ethical issues — questions about what is right or wrong, whether or not the law is broken.

Cyberbullying is repeated cruel behaviour towards someone online, such as a group chat where a classmate is mocked every day. It can make the target anxious and withdrawn, and it follows them home because messages arrive at any hour. Trolling is posting deliberately to provoke a reaction, for example winding people up in a gaming stream's chat. It upsets people and can turn into a pile-on. False information spreads quickly because anyone can post and share: a rumour that a local leisure centre is closing can be shared hundreds of times before it is corrected, worrying staff and costing bookings.

Anonymity means posting without your name attached. It can protect people: a young carer can speak openly on a support forum, because nobody at school can tell who wrote the posts. It can also let people avoid responsibility, because a nameless account can send threats and may not be held to account.

Health and wellbeing

Too much screen time can mean less physical activity, and scrolling late at night can cause sleep problems. Social media pressure — comparing yourself with edited photos and highlight reels — can lower mood. Together these can affect your concentration and how you feel.

These drawbacks have to be balanced against the benefits. Health apps can remind someone to take their medication, online medical advice can help you check whether a rash needs a doctor, and medical technology lets a scan taken at one hospital be shared with and reviewed by a specialist working somewhere else. The balance is different for different people: a 15-year-old may feel under pressure to keep up with friends on social media, while a 72-year-old may find a video call the simplest way to keep in touch with family living abroad.