Policy review on Cyberbullying

Abstract

In today’s world, community is no longer defined solely by geography, it’s defined by connection. In Zimbabwe the digital expansion has caused a severe public health and human crisis. Harassment in the digital era reveals a 75% of students reported having intimidating. The Zimbabwean government enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] and the National Child Online Protection Policy (2026 – 2030 to protect its citizen in the digital era. Studies have highlighted the impact cyberbullying has on the victim’s mental health, self-esteem and academic performance. This paper reviews the Zimbabwe’s policy and proposes recommendations to help mitigate cyberbullying in communities. Our sense of belonging plays a huge role in mental and emotional wellbeing. That is why using community psychology principles of prevention, empowerment and ecological perspective can help build healthy communities were digital misuse is lessened.