The main means of contact used by bullies are the social network Facebook, the instant messaging app WhatsApp, and mobile phone calls.
In Yucatán, during 2023, out of the 1,616,472 internet users aged 12 years and older (representing 20.7% of the total population), 334,609 people experienced some form of cyberbullying.
This percentage is slightly lower than the national average of 20.9%, with the most affected age group being between 20-29 years old, according to data from the Cyberbullying Module (MOCIBA) 2023, released by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
This index showed a reduction of 7.2% compared to the previous measurement in 2022, when the percentage of users who felt bullied on the global information network was 27.9%. The main means of contact used by bullies are Facebook, WhatsApp, and mobile phone calls.
Cyberbullying is defined in Yucatán’s Penal Code, Article 243 ter., which states that: “Anyone who uses technology to harass, bully, intimidate, or threaten someone using digital means or any other technology, causing harm to the victim’s personal dignity, reputation, or psychological integrity will be sentenced to one to four years in prison and fined $100 to $200.”
According to MOCIBA 2023 data from INEGI, 41.6% of victims admitted to receiving spam or viruses intended to damage their equipment or information, while 41.8% said they were contacted through fake identities.
38.7% of those who experienced cyberbullying received offensive messages; 31% sexual content; 30.5% suggestive or propositioned messages; 26.3% provoking reactions; 18.6% offensive calls; 13.7% criticism based on appearance or social class; 11.2% were threatened with publishing personal information, audio, or video to extort them, and 5.3% were threatened with publishing or selling images or videos of sexual content.
24.5% of victims recognized being bullied by acquaintances; 16% both by acquaintances and strangers, while 58.5% only by strangers. 61.5% of identified bullies were men.
The main security measures taken by those who experienced cyberbullying in Yucatán are: installing or updating antivirus programs, firewalls, or spyware blockers; blocking pop-up windows on the browser; not publishing their email or phone number on social media; not entering insecure or unknown websites; not opening or saving files sent by strangers and changing passwords periodically.
