a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups September 2019 Volume 11 Number 3

Youth
HONG KONG

From
Physical
to
Digital
 OVERVIEW

Contents
4 Against bullying
INTERVIEWS
7 Know your students: psychology meets technology
Jamie Chiu
10 Cybercrime’s fingerprints
Mary Aiken September 2019 | Youth Hong Kong
University of East London
Volume 11 Number 3
13 Doxing trends
Anne Cheung
University of Hong Kong
15

Finding bullies in Hong Kong schools
Annis Fung
4-6
City University of Hong Kong OVERVIEW
YOUTH SPEAK
18 Facing up to it
Jane and Amber
SERVICES & SUPPORT
7-17
20 Understanding complexities INTERVIEWS
School social worker explains
22 HKFYG initiatives and advocacy for

24
bullying prevention and intervention
Back to School with HKFYG
18-19
Emotion management, media literacy & campus bullying Youth Speak
PERSPECTIVES
25 Anti-bullying law
MWYO 20-24
28 Action against cyberbullies
Elaine Morgan SERVICES & SUPPORT
30 Not whether but how to legislate
Gary Heilbronn
YOUTH WATCH 25-31
32 Bullying statistics and trends
TALKING POINT
PERSPECTIVES
34 Letter to parents
Clara Lu
SOCIETY & CULTURE
32-33
36 Future menus YOUTH WATCH
Hazel Wong
HKFYG
40
42
Ten new books
Youth IDEAS reports
34-38
45 Youth Trends 2018 Features
46 Organic & hydroponic farms
47 Future skills
48
50
Youth exchange
Wellness Theatre
40-51
51 Flag Day HKFYG

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2
Editorial
September 2019 | Youth Hong Kong

Bullying in school is not new. What is new is the way it has evolved into what
we now call cyberbullying. More insidious and with the anonymity that the
internet affords, cyberbullying can have widespread, deeper and more
detrimental consequences than conventional bullying.

This edition of Youth Hong Kong tries to understand and analyze the problem
through interviews with specialists, psychologists, social workers and people
who have been bullied. We assess what is being done and what should be done
to tackle this critical issue.

Please write to us with your own experiences in dealing with cyberbullying.

We understand that our readers must be well aware of what is happening in

Hong Kong. The protests over the past months have captured the news all over
the world. The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups remains committed to
the welfare of young people and their future throughout the current challenges.

Please keep Hong Kong's healing in your thoughts.

Andy Ho Wing-cheong
Executive Director, HKFYG
September 2019

3
 Overview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Against bullying
Bullying among youth, an invidious fact of life in
schools, seems to have become ever more complex.
Subtle, insidious bullying − both online and offline –
now includes manipulation, intimidation and social
exclusion, as well as spreading harmful rumours.
Designed to humiliate, isolate and frighten victims while
deterring bystanders from doing anything, cyberbullying’s
impact can be swift and catastrophic. Whether it is
shaming and harassment, stalking, trolling or online
hate speech, the power of a single click or swipe on
a smartphone increases the effect exponentially.
Since the borderline between young people’s online and
offline worlds is often seamless, being aware of peers
ganging up against you online may result in feeling as if
the entire world knows. Constantly tormented by peers,
knowing that people you have never met also see the
shameful insults of your so-called online “friends”, it can
feel as if there is no escape. The bullies remain anonymous
and can contact targets anywhere, 24 hours a day.
How can bullying be defined?
The first step is tackling the problem is to try to define
it. There is no formally agreed legal definition of
bullying, perhaps because so many types of behaviour
have been thought conventionally to qualify, from
the kind of teasing encountered by many children to
the mean-spirited initiation rites known as hazing or
ragging, mainly among young males in groups.
4
However, there is general international agreement that real
bullying has three elements: aggression, persistent repetition
and a real or perceived imbalance of physical or social
power.1 Online bullying is more difficult to define than
traditional bullying. As one expert points out, “Research
on cyberbullying is plagued by inconsistent findings and
exaggerated claims about prevalence …To build a useful and
coherent body of knowledge, it is essential to achieve some
degree of consensus on the definition of the phenomenon
as a scientific concept.”2 This must involve the extremity
of language used, the age and characteristics of targets
and how widely bullying messages have been circulated.
Symptoms and effects
Whatever form bullying takes, whether in the playground
or school locker room, on the bus or on social media,
both those who are bullied and those who bully others
may have serious, lasting emotional and psychological
problems. A common warning sign of a bullied child is
loss of interest in going to school or wanting to drop out.
Victims also tend to blame themselves for situations outside
their control, sometimes reacting disproportionately to
perceived threats. They may become very depressed and
respond by harming themselves or having suicidal thoughts.
Targets of any form of bullying often lose self-esteem
and self-confidence. They feel alone, anxious and
excluded. The distressingly common phenomenon of
ostracizing and “slut shaming” teenage girls means they
 • Statistics and trends in Hong Kong indicate an
escalation of bullying and cyberbullying.
• Targets suffer long-lasting emotional
and psychological problems.
• Countermeasures include a whole-school approach,
close monitoring and reporting as well as legislation.
begin to doubt their own worth. Young people who are
or feel overweight and those who are disabled or belong
to minorities are also among the most vulnerable, as
are those who do not conform to peer pressure, even
if there is no visible sign of their being different.
Cyberbullying and shaming
Public shaming is not new but with the rise of social
media, it has moved from tabloid newspapers to platforms
such as Instagram and Snapchat. Because of what is called
“algorithmic nudging”, social media users see information
that is most likely to keep them engaged with the platform.
This nudging contributes to the well-documented “echo
chamber” effect, where users are presented with information
and opinions in line with their existing beliefs. Over time,
this makes it harder for people to see the full context or
the effect of their online interaction with others. This
process has been common in highly politicized events, such
as Brexit in the UK and the local protests in Hong Kong
and is equally true of the mass shaming of individuals
as it is in deepening the political divisions in society.
How bad is it?
Even before the recent civil unrest there was growing
concern that bullying may have worsened in Hong Kong
and recent Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) statistics
revealed a 62% increase in bullying on the previous year.3
Fears were confirmed when Hong Kong ranked first in the
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
study of bullying in 53 countries which showed 32.3% of
15-year-olds in Hong Kong were bullied at least a few times
a month.4 Despite the rising trend revealed by statistics,
the EDB does not consider it necessary to introduce anti-
bullying laws or a compulsory reporting process in Hong
Kong. Individual schools are advised to adopt a zero-
tolerance approach but in practice, responses vary widely.
Young bullies are also often confident and intelligent and
know how to deflect blame even if caught victimizing
another child. Nevertheless, they tend to lack empathy and
social skills. Those who bully persistently are likely to do so
• 香港的數據顯示本港欺凌問題及網上欺凌
愈趨嚴重。
• 受害人往往承受長時間的情緒及心理問
題。
• 改善方法包括建立關愛校園、密切留意潛
在個案、設立匯報機制，以及立法處理。
in order to dominate others and improve their social status
and do not see bullying as morally wrong. Some bullies feel a
sense of superiority over other students but others show very
little emotion and bully others when no one can see or stop
them. Popular, high-achieving students can also be bullies.5
Although it is not always easy to differentiate the online
bully from the traditional kind, they have a tendency
to display complex emotional issues which may include
feelings of inadequacy, poor social skills and the wish for
power or control over of others. Both offline and online
bullies typically want opportunity and attention. The
internet offers both and an online bully can get more
immediate gratification from “likes”, shares, retweets.
What can be done?
An underlying problem in the battle against bullying is
that the targets often want to keep it a secret. There is
still a stigma attached to being bullied and some children
feel they’ve brought it upon themselves. Embarrassed
or ashamed, afraid of escalation or reprisals, they
don’t report what’s happening to them. They don’t
want their parents to worry, may feel they won’t be
taken seriously or think that adults don’t keep up with
technology and don’t understand their online world.
In order to find a solution, online social media platforms
are increasingly harnessing the power of software and
online tools that reveal potential bullying behaviour.
Nevertheless, both monitoring and regulation is
difficult and complex. Furthermore, cyberbullying
targets are often advised to leave the specific online
environment where the bullying is taking place but
for many teens this means cutting off their world.6
How is bullying handled overseas?
Multipronged approaches have been found to work well
and two in particular are recommended. In Finland, the
pioneering anti-bullying programme called KiVa™ (from
the Finnish words “kiusaamista vastaan,” meaning “against
bullying”) has been adopted by 90% of schools. Key
5
 Overview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
What is bullying
Bullying is:
● Repeated aggression aimed at hurting
another person or group of people.
● It features a real or perceived imbalance of power.
● It can continue over time and is
often hidden from adults.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying, also known as online bullying or cyber
harassment, is common, especially among teenagers. It
includes sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful,
false, or mean content such as insults and disrespect,
shaming, rumours, threats, undesirable sexual remarks,
personal information about victims or pejorative labels
that cause embarrassment or humiliation. Most
cyberbullying takes place on social media sites such as
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, as well as
messaging such as WhatsApp, WeChat and SMS.
Read more
● definitions.uslegal.com/c/cyber-bullying/
● cyberbullying.org/bullying-beyond-schoolyard-preventing-
responding-cyberbullying-2nd-edition
factors are a focus on bystanders and the systematic way
in which the programme guides school staff to coordinate
and organize anti-bullying activities. It also includes
anti-bullying computer games and an online reporting
tool which removes some of the embarrassment.7
Elsewhere, the well-recognized programme OBPP, the
Norwegian Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has been
adopted by thousands of schools. Rather than simply
providing books, videos and lesson plans on bullying,
this programme helps a school develop an extensive
bullying plan with components at the school, teacher,
classroom and community levels. For raising young
people’s awareness of online risks, the I-SAFE Internet
Safety Curriculum in the US and the Cyber Friendly
Schools Project in Australia are notable examples.
Legislation and other safeguards can underpin whole-
school policies and programmes such as these and better
If you need help, call HKFYG:
Hotline　2777 8899　　　　　　　WhatsApp　6277 8899　　　　　　SMS 24x7　9101 2012
6
Bullying is not:
● Single episodes of social rejection or dislike.
● One-off acts of nastiness or spite.
● Random acts of aggression or intimidation.
Sources
• ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/definition-of-bullying/
• stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html
monitoring and reporting can improve awareness.
Fundamentally, however, clear communication
between those directly involved, as in so many other
problematic circumstances, is the key. If children can
be encouraged to speak up, the effects of bullying can
be mitigated. The hope is that they will realize that the
experience of bullying is not to be faced alone.
Read more
● duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/B/Bullying.aspx
● gov.uk/bullying-at-school/bullying-a-definition
● semanticscholar.org/paper/Cyberbullying-
perpetration-and-victimisation-among-Rao-Wang/08c
2b8fcb58759c953ae08a406e1c5fc257cf8da
● semanticscholar.org/paper/Cyberbullying%3A-A-
narrative-review-Tiffany/2907e1e26deb6dd27dfc1979
463c5bac42426a95
● understood.org/en/friends-feelings/child-social-
situations/online-activities-social-media/
cyberbullying-what-you-need-to-know
● medicinenet.com/bullying/article.htm
● ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378064/
● ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5914259/
● ocali.org/project/bullying_and_individuals_with_
special_needs/page/anti_bullying_program_resources
Sources
1. stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29279213
3. legco.gov.hk/yr18-19/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf EDB 056 p157-160
4. yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/111059/despite-hk-reporting-most-children-being-
bullied-world-many-students
5. psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-14197-002
6. witsprogram.ca/school/respond-to-cyberbullying-intervention/
7. kivaprogram.net/program
 Interview
September 2019 | Youth Hong Kong
Know your
students
psychology meets
technology
Can you tell us about your work?
My focus is helping teenagers overcome depression and
anxiety. I use an online mental health screening programme
with schools. It identifies students who are struggling with
issues that they are too scared to tell an adult about face-
to-face. The programme is called Know My Students and is
used in schools across Hong Kong. It employs a chatbot-
style questionnaire that indicates the risk of depression and
suicide and is designed to feel friendly so that students feel
safe enough to share what’s on their minds. A consistent
finding among thousands of students who have used
the programme is a strong link in about 20% of them
between being bullied, heightened levels of depression
and hopelessness and saying that life isn’t worth living.
• Students who get bullied often think it’s their fault
for being targeted.
• They feel ashamed and so become less likely and
less willing to tell an adult about it.
• Dr Jamie Chiu founded a company that created
an online programme to help schools recognize
and support vulnerable teenagers, allowing for
early intervention.
• 遭受欺凌的學生一般認為是自己的過錯令自己受到
欺凌。
• 由於他們感到羞愧，因此很少願意跟成年人坦誠說
出受人欺凌的遭遇。
• 趙千媄博士創辦提供網上服務的公司，協助學校辨
識受欺凌的學生，為他們提供支援及介入服務。
Why do schools need another way to connect with
struggling students?
One of the challenges that adults face is that we’re
often the last to know about students’ problems. I
can understand this because I also struggled with
depression and anxiety as a teenager and I was too
scared to let anyone know. It can be intimidating and
embarrassing to ask for help about personal issues.
How do students react when asked to share how they
feel through your programme?
Students enjoy using it. One student said, “It really
feels like the questions were designed by someone
who understands what it’s like to struggle.” Another
said, “It makes me feel like someone is there for
me and understands me without judging me.”
by ihtatho_httpsflic.krp5HiBmq
7
 Interview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
What forms of bullying do students report?
Being singled out, called names, harassed and having hurtful
rumours about them spread, both in person and online.
For example, a Secondary 3 student shared details of being
bullied since primary school by the same classmate. Even
though other children knew about the bullying, they were all
afraid of becoming a target and so did not stand up for him.
What happened?
When the bullying first started, the student tried to ignore
it, hoping it would eventually stop. But it escalated and
became more intense. He began to blame himself, thinking
that it was his fault. He didn’t know how to cope and began
to harm himself. He says he opened up to me because he
could tell I had been through similar problems myself.
What did you say to him?
This boy, like many who have experienced either bullying
or self-harm, felt a lot of shame. For years, he felt he
deserved the bad things that happened to him. I helped
him see that the bullying wasn’t his fault and worked on
ways to help him start feeling better about himself.
Was the bully punished?
Enforcing consequences is important, but equally
important is building a foundation of socially acceptable
behaviour. Punishment alone is not a good solution.
Children who engage in bullying behaviour need to
understand the impact of their actions so I requested
counselling for the students on both sides.
Would you use the same approach for cyberbullying?
At the end of the day, bullying is bullying. Today’s children
don’t really experience a separation between the online and
offline world. When a child is being bullied in school, it’s
very likely that it will include online aspects like sharing
screenshots of private conversations or starting a group
chat with everyone in the class except the bullied child.
No matter what form the bullying takes, by building
a culture of acceptance and kindness, children learn to
be good to one another even when conflicts arise.
8
Can you describe a recent case of online bullying that
you have handled?
There were two girls at secondary school, best friends,
both of whom liked the same boy. One started dating
him but didn’t tell the other because she felt guilty and
was scared of losing her friend. The friend found out
and felt betrayed. She was the more popular of the two
and became jealous and vindictive. She started sharing
screenshots of her friend’s secrets on Instagram.
The secrets spread very quickly and other classmates joined
in, effectively ostracizing the girl who had got the boy. Soon,
she had no friends left and was labelled the school slut.
Online bullying can be so damaging because of the ease and
speed at which personal things can get shared and exposed,
amplifying the hurtful impact. The distress made her think
of suicide and she started self-harming. Luckily, her school
was implementing our programme and her responses
raised red flags. As I was supporting the school with post-
screening assessments, the teachers referred her to me.
Couldn’t the problem have been caught earlier?
It started off as a friendship problem and then quickly
escalated. These are common conflicts, but if the teenagers
haven’t yet learned how to effectively communicate and
handle conflict with empathy and kindness, especially face-
to-face, it’s easy to see why things can get out of hand. We
are lucky that we got to intervene in this case, but what
if we hadn’t? This shows why parents and schools need
to ensure students develop good social-emotional skills.
If parents know bullying is taking place, what can
they do?
Their natural instinct will be to want the bullying to
stop as soon as possible but they need to remember that
their child is afraid, embarrassed and especially worried
that they have just made things worse by telling you.
What I have seen work best is when a parent is able
to walk the fine line between not overreacting ‒
storming into the school principal’s office or something
similar ‒ and handling concerns seriously. The parent
could, for example, contact the school and the child’s
teachers and work subtly with them to find a way to
stop the bullying in the least disruptive manner.

Are there things parents should not do?
I believe there are two. The first is to be dismissive
and not take a child’s concerns seriously. Minimizing
concerns can reinforce the child’s belief that the bullying
is their own fault or that something is wrong with
them. Parents need to remember that it takes a lot of
courage for a child to tell them that they are being
Jamie’s story
Born in Hong Kong, Jamie
had moved between three
Australian cities by the
age of five. When she was
six, her family relocated
to Ghana and when she
was 14, her parents
separated and her
mother took her back to
Australia. As a child, she
always struggled to fit in.
“When I started Primary 1 in Ghana, I was bullied
in school. I was already an anxious child but the
bullying made me feel as if there was something
wrong with me. I didn’t tell my parents because I
was embarrassed. My mum only found out about the
bullying when I came home one day with scratches
and bruises. She told the school but the teachers just
thought I was being fussy and should ‘toughen up’.
Read more
knowmystudents.com/unwire.pro/2018/09/06/know-my-students/news/ [in Chinese]
The Brightly Project 10/F, The Wave, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
info@thebrightlyproject.com
bullied. Even though the situation may appear trivial,
it’s likely to be causing a lot of distress in a child.
Second, parents should never directly approach the
child who is the bully. There was one case of online
bullying on a school’s Minecraft server. Some girls were
being called nasty names and their parents noticed.
Instead of notifying the school, the parents went into
the online chat group themselves and bullied the other
children back! The school eventually found out and
stopped it all, but this serves to show how difficult it is
to keep level-headed and not let emotions get the best
of you when it is your own child who is being bullied.
What are the long-term effects of being bullied?
As a child, when you experience bullying, it hurts your
sense of safety and trust in relationships, it impairs your
self-esteem and confidence. It makes you feel ashamed
and afraid. Students who are bullied are more likely to feel
depressed, anxious and even have thoughts of suicide. These
effects carry on into adulthood. Children who have been
bullied are more likely to become depressed adults.
“After my parents separated, my mother and I moved
back to Australia and I started school mid-year. I was 14,
very insecure and anxious. As the new kid who looked
different from everyone else, I got picked on by others. It
reinforced the belief that something was wrong with me
and that no one would ever like me. I kept all of this from
my mum because I didn’t want to disappoint her. With all
the other problems at home, I didn’t want to be a burden.
“I pretended that everything was fine, but underneath
my self-dislike grew. There was always a deep knot
in my stomach and a sense of dread that followed
me everywhere. I couldn’t cope, I became more
depressed and developed an eating disorder.
Eventually, I went to university and became a clinical
psychologist because I wanted to be able to offer
young people the support that I wish I’d had myself.”
Since returning to Hong Kong in 2011, Dr Jamie Chiu
has focused on helping teens and schools. Her private
therapy practice is in Sheung Wan and The Brightly
Project which she founded is based in Kwun Tong.
9
 Interview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Cybercrime’s
fingerprints
Dr Aiken specializes in the impact of technology on human
behaviour, “where humans and technology collide,” as she
describes it. She argues that people behave differently online.
Interaction becomes amplified and accelerated. As a result,
problems can escalate very easily, whether their roots are in
outright aggression, overly innocent trust or a combination.
“30 to 40% of everyday speech is normally taken up with
self-disclosure, private experiences and personal relationships
– discussing with others how we feel or what we think about
something,” says Dr. Aiken, but when we communicate
on social media the amount of self-disclosure doubles
to around 80% and consists mainly of announcements
about immediate experiences. Why? Because online,
people feel less restrained and bolder. They can become
less inhibited because they can act anonymously.
Given the nature of social media and how easy it is make
online “friends” as well as post personal information,
messages and photos, it is all too easy for a naïve user to
become vulnerable. “Imagine a child who has a Facebook
page and an Instagram account, who participates in
10
Snapchat, WhatsApp and Twitter,” Dr Aiken says.
“That child could have thousands of contacts and call
them all friends. But these are not friends in any real-
world sense. They don’t really know or care about
the child and their identity is potentially false.”
Children who spend much of their time online with these
so-called friends, “may not get much real-world experience
in handling social groups,” she continues. Online
communication lacks many cues such as facial expressions,
body language and tone of voice, “…so spending a lot
of time on social media may render children less socially
competent than they might otherwise have been.”
Dr Aiken goes on to apply the “looking-glass theory”. It is
a concept in social psychology created by Charles Horton
Cooley in 1902, long before the internet. According to this
theory, people base their sense of self on how they believe
others see them. She notes that individuals ‒ and particularly
teenagers who are increasingly involved in updating their
online personas ‒ risk damaging the development of their
real selves. This is because they largely they see themselves
 • Nasty bullying online is a reality and can also be criminal.
• What causes, exacerbates and reinforces cyberbullying and how best can it
be detected?
• Dr Mary Aiken, a cyberpsychologist who researches the interface between
people and the internet, offers some explanations and proposes a strategy
for prevention.

• 網上欺凌有時是可接受的現實行為，但亦可能是犯罪行為。
• 值得思考甚麼因素引致或加劇欺凌行為？我們又如何偵測？
• 網絡心理學家瑪麗．愛肯博士（Dr Mary Aiken）分析了人們跟互聯網的介面互動，
為我們提供一些解釋，以及預防的策略。

Another well-known psychological phenomenon comes

Every contact leaves a trace
and nowhere is this truer
than online.
reflected in a mirror held up by online friends who
don’t really know them. She warns that those who have
several “cyber selves” on different platforms may be most
vulnerable to bullying. Her scenario develops like this:
“In the real world, if five friends attack you, that is bad
enough.” Children, hypersensitive to criticism, tend to
focus on cutting remarks rather than compliments and may
have an exaggerated self-image. “Now imagine a class of 20
turns on you … then the equivalent of the whole school
… then all your social network contacts …” Obviously, the
effect can be devastating, particularly for young people.
Cyberbullying can also spread because of the “bystander
effect” as Dr Aiken calls it. This is the strange phenomenon
of a large number of people witnessing a crime or
emergency and doing nothing about it. The more there are
of them, the less likely that anyone will react. Psychologists
says this is because each individual is thinking that someone
else will act. Likewise, in cyberbullying hundreds of online
“friends” may see what is going on but no one steps forward
to defend the victim who is left to fend for him- or herself.
into Dr Aiken’s explanation of cyberbullying. It is called
the “theory of planned behavior.” It applies when the
more anyone talks about something, the more it becomes
normalized. The result is that cyberbullying proliferates
because more people expect it and consider it to be “normal.”
Fortunately, the volume of data involved in cyberbullying
makes it susceptible to digital detection and this is
where Dr Aiken’s expertise in digital forensics comes in.
“Every contact leaves a trace and nowhere is this truer
than online. In the playground, the mean words of a
bully disappear instantly. Online, it is just the opposite.
Communication leaves a permanent digital record in
which both victims and perpetrators can be identified.”
Recognizing this, Dr Aiken has been working on an
algorithm for use with artificial intelligence (AI) and
big data, a mathematical formula which “can predict
the prevalence of antisocial behavior online, identify
incidences of bullying and detect escalation. It would
be an opt-in solution used only with parental consent.
It could be formulated not only to warn the young
people concerned but also to initiate digital outreach by
counsellors and send an alert to teachers and parents.
None of the adults would need to see the content so
there would be no breach of privacy for the child.”
The algorithm could also one day reflect anti-bullying
law in the jurisdiction where the data is gathered and be
designed to “quantify and provide evidence of a crime. It
could send digital deterrent messages to the cyberbully as
well, showing him or her that real-life consequences exist.”
The question remains as to whether the police would give
potentially criminal cyberbullying data sufficient priority
for an algorithm to result in court cases. Dr Aiken also

11
 Interview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

While algorithms are being refined, Dr Aiken advocates

the use of preventive protocols that involve teaching
“netiquette” ‒ good online behaviour that never infringes
privacy and reflects sound moral values. She stresses that
given the use of smartphones by very young children,
the lessons have to start at kindergarten. “Netiquette has
to be instilled early in childhood. If you only teach it
when a child is eight years old, it will be too late.” That
means three- and four-year-olds need to learn how to
be good cyber citizens. They must understand the risks
and hurts that they are able to inflict on others online.

Machines may one day be able to help intervene and stamp

out bullying but until AI perfects a way of detecting the
most subtle and cunning bullying tactics, the responsibility
will still lie with us. As Dr Aiken says, “cyberbullying
is a 21st-century problem that requires a 21st-century
solution. We need the collective will to address it.”

Dr Mary Aiken is an
Honorary Professor in
Law and Criminology at
the University of East
London, an academic
advisor to Europol’s
Cybercrime Centre (EC3)
and a former director of
the Cyberpsychology
Research Centre. Her
research interests
include cybersecurity,
organized cybercrime,
reminds us, “I think we need to make a clear distinction
cyberstalking, technology-facilitated human trafficking
between cyberbullying as a form of social taunting and
and the rights of the child online. She is a member
cyberbullying as a form of criminal activity. An algorithm of the advisory board of the Hague Justice Portal, a
that it is useful to social workers, parents, teachers and law foundation for international peace, justice and security.
enforcement agencies would involve monitoring big data
and to be effective it would have to lead to prosecution.”

Another difficulty with automated detection of online

bullying is that remarks made in chat can be highly nuanced.
A bully may use irony to caption a photo posted online,
using terms like “beautiful” when they really mean the
opposite, as in a photo of a drowsy, dishevelled student who
is unaware that the photo is being taken. Sometimes a bully “The Cyber Effect” by Mary Aiken
will give the game way by adding a nasty face emoticon to Publishers:
a snide comment but AI that could detect all the possible In English, J. Murray, 2016
combinations is yet to be developed. Although an algorithm In Chinese, CITIC Press 2019
can be good at monitoring large volumes of traffic, AI is
not known to be good at identifying irony or sarcasm.

12
 Doxing:
toxic and dangerous
• The rising trend in doxing, known in local Cantonese as 起底 , “hei • 隨著香港近期增加的示威和群
dai” or cyber manhunt, has been escalated by recent protests in 眾活動，「起底」或「網絡人
Hong Kong. 肉搜尋」均有上升趨勢。
• Prof Anne Cheung from the University of Hong Kong stresses how • 香港大學張善喻教授強調，我
important it is to be aware of its power but also how it should be 們應小心界定「起底」的定義，
defined. 並留心它的傷害程度。
• She says that it is deepening political divisions and the most • 她表示，社會政見分歧加深，
effective way to tackle the problem is for internet service providers 要預防「起底」帶來的傷害；
to step in. 社交網絡供應商亦責無旁貸。

According to a 2018 survey1, conducted by Prof
Cheung and several of her colleagues, just over one
in ten secondary school students engages in doxing
and over half have personal information and photos
about them posted on social media and messaging apps
without their consent. In recent weeks, the trend has
become even more prevalent. However, she says, “It
is important to be clear about what doxing is and, in
the present Hong Kong context, to distinguish it from
political criticism so that we know who is accountable.”
Her preferred definition of doxing is “the intentional
public release onto the internet of personal information
about an individual by a third party, often with the intent
to humiliate, threaten, intimidate or punish the identified
individual.” Prof Cheung’s research with Prof Edward
Chan Ko-ling of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
was published between 2018 and 2019.2 It concludes that,
“Because doxing increases the risk of information disclosure,
consequently leading to the risk of harassment and attacks
in both cyberspace and the physical world, it is important
to develop effective approaches for combating the problem.”
Doxing intensifies the power imbalance between
The term “doxing” comes from the
abbreviation for documents as “docs”. In
Cantonese, it is called 起底 , “hei dai” which
is the colloquial Cantonese for cyber manhunt
in English.
perpetrators and victims. While perpetrators remain
anonymous, avoid public scrutiny and escape repercussions,
targets become more exposed, both in cyberspace
and the physical world. Concern about this form of
online bullying has escalated since demonstrations
about the extradition bill began in Hong Kong. As
Prof Cheung points out, “The rising trend that we
reported in 2018 has worsened and has been confirmed
by interviews with the Privacy Commissioner.”**
Hostile doxing, especially of children, has been widely
discussed. Not only does this violate victims’ information
privacy but it can also facilitate online harassment and
lead to physical bullying in real life. Prof Cheung goes
on to say that she would not be surprised by a cross-
over between real-life bullying and bullying by doxing,
a phenomenon that is often reported by researchers.

13
 Interview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
The rising trend that we
reported in 2018 has
worsened and has been
confirmed by interviews with
the Privacy Commissioner.
Revenge doxing
“This form of cyberbullying has been weaponized and
used deliberately to intimidate, isolate and cause fear,”
she continues, saying that according to the Privacy
Commissioner, although doxing against families of
members of the police has dropped, revenge doxing
against protesters by those who initially were targets
is on the rise. This occurs partly because the victims
had no recourse to any other form of retaliation, a
phenomenon confirmed by Prof Cheung’s research.
Indeed, revenge doxing may be the most important
reason for the rise in doxing by Hong Kong youth.
“Awareness has been raised among the Hong Kong
community of the effectiveness and power of doxing to
do harm,” Prof Cheung points out. This has both good
and bad results. Although it can lead to heightened
personal security online, it also means that this form of
cyberbullying has become more widespread because it
has proved to be so effective a form of harassment. “More
people use it because they are aware of its power.”
Heightened awareness
Used as a means to breed public mistrust and deepen
the political divide in the community, doxing has
proved itself to be a potent tool. Asked what might be
done to prevent or reduce incidences of doxing and
other forms of cyberbullying, Prof Cheung stresses the
importance of agreed definitions but also of raising
awareness. Many adolescents share personally identifiable
information such as their full name, sex, birthday,
school, relationship status and e-mail address, as well as
personal photos and videos, so online self-disclosure has
been a long-standing concern for parents and schools.
14
It is very important to inform adolescents about the
existence of information privacy laws that prohibit
the unauthorized disclosure of personal information,
the potentially serious consequences of hostile doxing
and severe penalties for doxing, Prof Cheung advises.
However, there are limitations in existing privacy laws
and it is difficult to legislate against cyberbullying, partly
because overseas social network providers are used by
perpetrators, making prosecution complex, as does the large
number of people involved in any incident of doxing.
Nonetheless, as a new school year begins, it is expected
that the number of cases related to doxing or bullying of
children and youngsters will be on a rise** and Prof Cheung
places the major burden for prevention on the shoulders
of providers of social networking platforms. “It does seem
that local platforms such as LIHKG filter out harmful
posts,” she points out. They probably also have content
moderators whose work is to identify and take down
malicious or potentially criminal content on social media.
“We hope to see all servers acting more strongly in response
to doxing because of the local situation, especially given
the safety risks to children that have been witnessed.”
Prof Anne Shann Yue
Cheung is a scholar at
the University of Hong
Kong’s Faculty of Law.
Her research interests
include internet privacy,
freedom of speech and
online censorship.
Publications Research on
doxing in Hong Kong co-
authored by Prof Cheung
include the following:
1. Doxing: What Adolescents Look for and Their Intentions, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC6352099/
2. Doxing Victimization and Emotional Problems among Secondary School Students in Hong
Kong. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6313484/
Sources
* pcpd.org.hk/english/news_events/media_statements/press_20190828.html
** Douglas, DM. “Doxing: A Conceptual Analysis,” Ethics and Information
Technology 18 (3), 199, 2016. doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9406-0
 Interview
September 2019 | Youth Hong Kong
Finding bullies in
Hong Kong schools
• The rise in face-to-face bullying and online
aggression among students has led specialists to
develop tools that identify the perpetrators and
deal with them.
• Dr Annis Fung and her team developed Project
C.A.R.E. which has set a benchmark for this
work.
• She recommends cognitive behaviour therapy,
the use of martial arts and moral philosophy,
omega-3 nutritional supplements, group story-
telling and “positive psychoeducation.”
The aim of Project C.A.R.E. [Children and Adolescents at
Risk Education] was to tackle Hong Kong’s school bullying
problem. Devised by Dr Annis Fung, the project took
place in 52 secondary and 25 primary schools teachers. It
aimed to identify different kinds of bully and victim and
offer therapy as well as seminars and therapeutic groups for
students. A training package with workshops and seminars
for professionals and parents was also part of the project.1
Could you give us your definition of school bullying?
I call bullying any well-planned action intended to harm
somebody, including physical violence, verbal threats
and discrimination in order to gain a benefit or reward.
Violence is not the same as bullying. The latter has a plan
by Jason Sho Green_httpsflic.krprnpTiC
• 不論是面對面或網上欺凌的情況都有增加趨
勢，故此專家特別設計了辨識工具，希望找出
欺凌者，並協助處理他們的問題。
• 馮麗姝博士和她的同事設計了「有教無『戾』－
校園欺『零』計劃」
（Project C.A.R.E.），甚具參
考價值。
• 她建議使用認知行為治療（cognitive behaviour
therapy）、功夫、道德教育、補充奧米加 3 營
養、團體敘事治療，以及「正向」心理教育等
方法處理問題。
and a purpose and the benefit gained may not be tangible
but can often include a sense of power or control.
Why do some students bully others?
There are two subtypes: the cold-blooded, goal-
oriented proactive aggressor and the impulsive, hot-
headed reactive aggressor. The latter subtype is
often mistaken for what I call the “real bully.”
Pure proactive aggressors are relatively rare and research
has shown that they act the way they do as a result
of their socialization. At a very young age, they learn
from their parents and close relatives that aggressive
behaviour brings benefits. Most of them are very smart.
15
 Interview
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Reactive aggression, by contrast, can be triggered by anxiety
or momentary anger. It is different from the repeated,
intentional and instrumental aggressive behaviour that I
call real bullying. In contrast to proactive bullies, reactive
aggressors usually lack confidence, are very sensitive to and
suspicious of their surroundings and lack social and problem-
solving skills. They readily interpret others’ behaviour as
hostile and aggressive when they encounter social problems.
Even if others’ actions are not harmful, they will retaliate
physically and emotionally to protect themselves.
What are the identifying characteristics of these two
subtypes of aggressors?
Proactive aggressors are callously unemotional. They seldom
express their feelings. Reactive aggressors easily become
angry, anxious and uncomfortable around their peers. They
Typical bullies and victims
Mike,* a proactive aggressor, coordinates others and
deliberately plans premeditated bullying to achieve status
and authority. He often threatens or hits his weaker
classmates and likes to linger around the housing estates
after school, often going home late at night. Once, he and
his gang invited a boy they didn’t like to play basketball at
a sports ground well away from home and school. During
the game, Mike intentionally kicked the boy’s leg very hard,
leaving him in a lot of pain while they all gathered round,
jeering and threatening. He was very excited to see how
frightened the boy was but his mind was clear, he acted
cautiously and made it hard for anyone to discover or
punish him. The reward, in Mike’s eyes, was that his peers
would not dare to mess with him reinforcing his idea that
being aggressive is the best way to control other people.
Doreen,* a typical reactive aggressor, is eight years
old. She grew up with little sense of security, love or
family warmth. Her father slaps her whenever he does
badly at work or loses money gambling, and her mother
gives limited care. Doreen is often defensive and has
developed a hostile attitude to the world. One day,
she hurt herself accidentally, scarring her arm. A few
days later, she saw some classmates laughing in the
corner of the classroom. Believing they were talking
about her, she became agitated and lashed out verbally.
Due to past experience of being told off and beaten
without any reason at home, she thought that she has
to attack others before they can do the same to her.
16
often argue with others. I used this categorization in my
work with Hong Kong schools which revealed five times
more reactive aggressors than proactive aggressors and
double the number of passive victims to aggressive victims.
US statistics show that one in five students have been
bullied in school.2How serious is the problem in Hong
Kong?
According to a survey of 540,000 schoolchildren in 72
countries and regions conducted in 2015,3 frequent school
bullying in Hong Kong is higher than anywhere else in the
world. 32.3% of approximately 5,000 students surveyed
reported that over the period of a month they had suffered
various forms of school bullying, 26.1% reporting having
been made fun of by other students and 9.5% having been
hit or pushed around.4
Keith,* a typical aggressive victim, finds that his
classmates are always laughing at him and calling him
“doggie”. They slap him hard and draw on his books
for no reason. Once, when Keith told his teacher that
he was being bullied in class, the teacher claimed not
to have noticed. On another occasion, he convinced his
friend to join him in beating up a classmate who had
bullied them both, believing it was the only way to stop
him, even at the risk of getting a demerit. “My teacher
took action only when I exaggerated the incident. I didn’t
care if I was punished, as long as he was as well,” said
Keith. When being bullied, he often struggles between
the impulse to act correctly and the wish to take revenge.
As a result, he is highly confused and conflicted.
Daniel,* a typical passive victim, is an only child in a
middle-class family. His parents do not allow him to do
household chores. They worry that he will be too tired
to go to school or do his homework. He has regularly
been bullied by a group of three classmates who call him
nicknames, tease him, grab his books and sometimes
beat him up. During class, he is constantly anxious and
sensitive to his surroundings, checking if his classmates
are approaching even when the teacher is present. He
is always the first to run out of the classroom at the end
of lessons and hides himself in a corner, believing that it
is his own fault that he gets bullied. He is so scared that
he often skips classes and is afraid of going school.
*Note All names used are pseudonyms.
What solutions are there for bullying on campus?
My work on Project C.A.R.E. offers reference material
and, I hope, a useful scientific assessment tool for all
frontline educators, social workers, counsellors and
parents working on anti-bullying programmes. It led
me to redefine bullying and say that violence is not
the same as bullying, which has a plan and a purpose.
Those who bully others gain spiritual, material and
linguistic benefits via their aggressive behaviour.
How can the victims of school bullying be helped?
We need the correct approach and I suggest cognitive
behavioural therapy to identify any irrational thinking
and rebuild positive thinking. A peer-counselling
programme would also help to manage school violence.
Older students would be trained as student ambassadors
to develop active, trustful relationships with younger
students and ensure they have support and care.
Is the Project C.A.R.E. manual useful outside Hong
Kong?
Project C.A.R.E. was a cross-boundary effort involving
England, Finland, Japan, Macau, mainland China, Poland,
Singapore, Spain, Uruguay and the US, so teachers and
social workers in different locations could participate
and follow the programme. As far as I know it is the first
scientific study to assess the treatment of both proactive
and reactive aggressors as well as aggressive and passive
victims. It has also shown that proactive and reactive
aggression among children in Spanish-speaking countries
is higher than in Hong Kong and mainland China.5
We conducted over 200 workshops and talks across Hong
Kong and to meet the needs of the students, our materials
were distributed to all participating schools. The project
advocates harmony and care in the school culture and has
organized press releases, public forums, internet forums and
interschool drama competitions to promote these values.6

PROJECT C.A.R.E. goals

● reduce aggression and related symptoms of teenage aggressors
● reduce the negative symptoms of victimization
● increase students’ awareness of school bullying
● equip students with skills to handle bullying as either victims or bystanders
● train students in anti-bullying methods who could then educate their peers
● train teachers as anti-bullying experts to effectively intervene or prevent bullying
Dr Annis Lai Chu Fung
● train social workers to deal with teenage bullies and victims
is an Associate Professor
● enhance parenting skills to promote family harmony and reduce child aggression
and Programme Leader,
● offer professional training manuals and educational packages for therapy
Master of Social Sciences
Read more cityu.edu.hk/class/kt/kt_projects/2012-13/kt_201213_DrAnnisFung.pdf in Counselling Programme,
Department of Social and
Read more Behavioural Sciences at the
City University of HK.
1 cityu.edu.hk/class/kt/kt_projects/2012-13/kt_201213_DrAnnisFung.pdf
2 study.com/teach/bullying-in-schools.html More about Project C.A.R.E.
3 OECD. PISA 2015 Results. Volume III: Students’ well-being, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, cityu.edu.hk/projectcare
2017. DOI: 10.1787/9789264273856-en.
4 Adolesc Health. 2019 Jun;64 (6S):S65-S72. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31122552
5 Fung, Annis. Project CARE. Practical Manual.
6 deptss01.cityuhk.acsitefactory.com/research-impact/pioneering-anti-aggression-
interventions-evidence-based-effective-outcomes

17
 Youth speak
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

Facing up to it
• Two long-term targets of bullies talk about the experience, its effects and the outcome
which was to lead to their work with targets of bullying.
• Their sad stories reveal how mean people can be to outsiders and want them to suffer.
• Both faced up to their experience and having acknowledged what happened they say
always tell on a bully, never stay silent.

• 兩位長期遭受欺凌的受訪者跟我們分享經驗，闡述欺凌事件如何影響她們，以及讓她們下定決
心將工作重心放在協助受欺凌的青年身上。
• 她們的的經歷，讓大家了解到旁觀者如何進一步使她們受到傷害。
• 兩位受害者都勇於面對自己的經歷，並希望讓更多人知道欺凌的情況。她們亦認為，受害人不
應啞忍欺凌行為。

Jane: in the minority, in denial

I’ve had to deal with bullies many, many times. I remember taking the school bus and saying something
that upset an older boy. I think he was in Primary 5. He seemed huge. He grabbed my hair and pulled,
forcing me to say sorry for whatever it was I’d said. I was so scared and the nanny on the bus tried to help
but he still wouldn’t let go till I apologized.

I never told my parents and must have blamed myself for saying something stupid enough to antagonize
him. Although I managed to make myself forget it at the time I remember it clearly enough now. I didn’t
think of it as being bullied then, perhaps I didn’t want to face up to my fears. Now I realize it had
something to do with being from a mixed background. I’m part-Indian and part-Chinese.

The real nightmare began when I changed from an international to an all-girls local school. In the English
class, the teacher asked a question and I was so eager to answer. I raised my hand as I always had in my
old school but it was the wrong thing to do. The teacher praised me and accused the other students of
being unresponsive. That was the trigger. They started picking on me for being clever and trying to get all
the teacher’s attention.

Next, they messed up my seat and desk with chocolate biscuits. When the teacher came into classroom,
she blamed me for making the place dirty. I told her it wasn’t my fault but the others all said I was lying.
When I told my parents they said I wasn’t self-reflective enough. I think I went into denial then.

Later, although I became part of a group of girls and tried hard to fit in, they still made fun of me, saying I
was not really one of them because I am part-Indian. They used to hide my lunch box time after time and
if I ever dared to report them I got the feeling that the teachers didn’t believe me or thought I was just
making a fuss about nothing. If anything, it made it worse so I stopped telling anyone, even the social
worker who didn’t help at all. In fact, she blamed me for being bullied and I hated her.

The longer term effects have been to make me over-eager to please other people and always to think that
I am the one who is no good at anything. Even after all these years, the effect is still the same. It
depresses me and makes me deeply unsociable. I often find it difficult to trust other people or make
friends.

Now, as a social work student, I want to help other people like myself and prove that social workers can
be very different from the one in my primary school. I tell young targets of bullies to try to be strong, that it
will pass eventually. If parents or other social workers ask me what to do if children get bullied, I tell them
to take it very seriously, tell them they are not alone and never put the blame on them.

18
 Amber: left out and mocked
My first experience of being bullied – although I didn’t think of it as bullying at the time − was at
primary school. All the other children used to laugh at me for being fat. I used to go to school
with my older sister and when we got on the bus, older children threw rubbish at me or hid my
school bag. In fact, that same group of students kept on laughing at me all the time till we left
that school.

When I was in Secondary 4 and 5, I made friends with another group but one of them was
always mocking me. In class, nobody stood up for me. I didn’t ask them why and told nobody
how miserable I felt. I thought it was my problem. In Secondary 6, a classmate started getting at
me on Facebook. She called me arrogant because I didn’t ask her to a gathering. All the other
students saw her messages but no one seemed to care.

For the rest of my time at school I had no friends. Every day I ate my lunch alone. There was
one girl who was different but she couldn’t always keep me company. She had her own friends
so almost always I felt lonely.

It didn’t stop when I went to university. I remember being so upset one night about not being
anyone’s friend that I ripped up all my notes. I was very emotional at that time and thought
maybe I was just too different from everyone else and that was why I was always being targeted.
I think I am just an outsider.

This sense of being isolated has affected me for a very long time, even though I wanted very,
very much to make friends. Perhaps I am too sensitive, always thinking I am a misfit even
though I always tried so hard to fit in.

Actually, I didn’t think of any of these problems as bullying until I went to a workshop on school
bullying last year and finally realized I was a victim. The memory of that moment is still very
traumatic and I am still trying to accept it. I suppose I don’t want to admit I’ve been targeted
and have been for a long time.

Now, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are beginning to fit together. People ask me why I never
told anyone before and I think the answer is that it would have been very difficult for anyone to
help the kind of child I was. That’s because when you are confronted with bullying you never
think of it as that. You don’t want to acknowledge it I suppose.

I think it is very difficult for schools to do much by way of stopping bullying, even if they try to
build a caring culture. Somehow, bullying is inevitable. It has been that way for generations. So
now that I am a teacher, I think listening to and understanding children is more important than
trying to resolve conflict. All we can do is stand by them, let them talk about their feelings and
try to help them face it all.

Jane, a social work student, is in her 20s. Amber is around 30 and

Read more
● cyberbullying.org/standing-up-to-
cyberbullying-tips-for-teens.pdf
● ditchthelabel.org
● tacklebullying.ie/victim-advice/
has become a teacher. While Jane says she wants to be a school
social worker because she understands how important they can be
to children in need, Amber says her wish to become a teacher
comes from opportunities to help young targets of bullies.
Note Names have been changed.

19
 Services and support
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Understanding the
complexities
• Karli*, a social worker, talks about her work
with targets and perpetrators of bullying.
• She says it is common for students to refuse
labelling even when they have been badly hurt.
• Her work with whole classes has been the most
successful approach for raising awareness
but mediation can also be effective.
At my school, there are many borderline cases of bullying. It
seems as if students often prefer not to think of themselves
as targets and refuse labelling. When we open a file about
the students, the situation is often complicated and they
are usually facing multiple problems. They might dismiss
what looks like bullying to us adults, saying it was just a
joke and that they can cope and don’t want to make a fuss.
In fact, the students who have been seriously targeted often
think the problem starts with themselves, maybe believing
they took an incident too seriously. But social media like
Facebook reminds you of things that happened years ago
and if a student has been bullied it can come back to
haunt them. Cases of serious bullying lead to depression,
so we social workers must try our best to understand.
20
• 駐校社工 Karli（化名）跟我們分享她在學
校處理校園欺凌個案的經驗。
• 她表示，受害學生一般不希望自己被視為
校園欺凌受害人。
• 她認為最理想的處理手法是整體提升全港
對問題的認知；但有時候調解亦能有效處
理個案。
Approaches that work
Awareness of bullying has been raised in recent years.
Many schools have done more preventive education
and in the all-boys school that I serve a big effort
has been made. I don’t think physical bullying has
become worse. In fact, the incidence may have
decreased since a few cases were reported to the police.
They involved fighting and taking photos of other
boys’ private parts and then posting them online.
This summer, the school’s worries about cyberbullying
became much greater. There have been so many brutal
attacks online. Most of us have a natural tendency to
identify with a particular group and see everyone else
as the “out group”. This us-vs-them mentality can be
seen in many aspects of our lives. Although it may
not lead to violence or victimization, when it coexists
with other factors, bullying is probably more likely.
Young people at school use Instagram and instant
messaging a lot. They sometimes make fun of each
other, taking an ugly photo and then uploading it with a
comment like “super beautiful!” when it is obviously not
true. Where boys tend to get into physical aggression, girls
in general tend to have more internal conflict about social
life. According to social workers I know in all-girls schools
and mixed schools, they talk more about their feelings
and feel worse about slights and insults from other girls.
Dealing with bullies
When it comes to dealing with the bullies, we need to
respond quickly but the response has to fit the individual
concerned. A Secondary 1 boy told me he accepted being
bullied. He said he knew that it would happen one day
because he had a habit of saying mean things and he
didn’t intend to change so he expected revenge. He said
he felt superior to his classmates because he had rich
parents and usually got good exam results and thought it
was perfectly OK to bully others into feeling inferior.
Then one day his own marks were poor and the ones
he had bullied took the chance to settle the score. He
thought that was quite natural and reflected reality in
society at all levels. This was quite a surprise. I realized
that his values must have been learned at home. This was
not a simple question of bullying. With overconfident
perpetrators like him, I suggest an alternative outlet
for aggression like taking the lead role in organizing
*Karli's name has been changed to protect anonymity
voluntary work. I think this might provide a way of finding
recognition from others while avoiding meanness.
Mediation is another form of intervention but you have
to do a lot of groundwork before you ask both sides to
meet each other. Nevertheless, it can sometimes be very
effective. Once, a perpetrator’s parent was very defensive
before meeting a victim’s parent. She was very moved to see
how bitterly upset the victim’s parent was when describing
her daughter’s misery and panic after being bullied by
her son. It meant that she understood clearly how badly
her son had hurt the girl and she apologized profusely.
Thinking twice
Usually, the approach that works best is with an entire
class rather than one-to-one. That way, we avoid labelling
the victims and perpetrators. If there is a labelling
effect, it will only get more complicated. I use soft skills
and encourage students to talk about how they feel,
maybe suggesting painting, drama or another form of
art therapy. Being able to find release in self-expression
usually helps. For example, when there had been a spate
of bullying at the school, I asked all the students in the
class to draw a face with a mask. One of them drew two
lines of tears behind the mask and later talked about the
need to hide the sadness when people where insulting.
I think this kind of approach works best because it gets the
message across while removing the risk of stigma for both
targets and bullies. Many students tell me how surprised
they are to see how hurtful classmates can be. They had
never imagined what sadness and damage bullying could
cause. This makes them reflect on their own behaviour,
understand themselves better and think twice before
making hurtful remarks about others in future.
21
 Services and support
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

Advocating prevention and

intervention for bullying
Bullying takes place frequently in Hong Kong. Ranging
from physical violence to cyberbullying with malicious
teasing, labelling classmates with insulting names and
launching smear campaigns as well as intimidating or
humiliating others repetitively. The problem has grown
significantly1 and cyberbullying in particular has attracted
widespread attention in the community and the media.

HKFYG’s professional counselling and support services

for victims, perpetrators and schools have grown in
response. As well as offering individual counselling,
Federation school social workers develop school-based anti-
bullying strategies to help provide a safer environment.

Awareness projects
Several Federation initiatives relate specifically to the
rise in cyberbullying. A territory-wide awareness project
for the general public called the BeNetwise Internet
Education Campaign was launched first and parent
education programmes have been organized regularly.
The aim was to encourage safe, appropriate behaviour
on the internet and a cybersafety portal grew into
a comprehensive media literacy portal by 2016.

HKFYG cyberbullying survey recommendations

Continuous Strengthened Rules for online Guidelines for

collection of data to training in media posts, parents
raise awareness literacy photos and videos by
platform providers

22
 • School bullying is not new but the rapid rise in • 校園欺凌問題一直存在，但隨著網上欺凌個案
cyberbullying prompts timely prevention and support. 增加，我們要提供預防及適時的支援。
• HKFYG projects address the issues and • 香港青年協會的計劃包括針對問題，提供有效
offer effective, appropriate responses. 服務及作出回應。
• An anti-cyberbullying charter will soon be • 我們即將推出反網絡欺凌約章，並邀請學校加
sent and schools invited to sign up. 入及簽署。

Cyberbullying surveys More details of HKFYG anti-bullying services

A survey2 on youth cyberbullying was conducted
● Youthline 27778899 (hotline) and 62778899 (whatsapp)
with government support. Nearly 3,000 secondary
students, case studies and the views of experts revealed ● OpenUp 24x7 Online Counselling 91012012 (SMS)
the nature and extent of cyberbullying in Hong Kong
secondary schools. It also showed young people’s ● Media Literacy Portal medialiteracy.hk
emotional and behavioural reactions and possible ● uTouch Cyber Youth Outreach and
preventive measures. The need for careful, respectful Counselling Service utouch.hk
use of the internet was the main lesson learned.
● Project NET medialiteracy.hk
Since then, the rising trend in bullying on the internet,
especially in social media, has been confirmed
by other surveys and its continued exponential
growth is the reason for much current concern.

Media literacy
The current BeNetwise Media Literacy Education project
emphasizes the value of ethical use of online media
and critical assessment of posts and shared messages. It
contains a curriculum for use in schools on topics related
to cyberbullying. It also includes educational videos that
focus on the importance of respect, empathy and fairness
and uses interactive drama to reinforce the message.

To tackle the problem further, the HKFYG uTouch

Cyber Youth Outreaching Service is drafting an anti-
cyberbullying charter and will invite schools to sign up in
the coming quarter. A “Support and Report” system will
also soon be launched. It will encourage young people to
report bullying to a trusted adult, including Federation
social workers, who can support them with mediation
or counselling with the goal of reconciliation.
Sources
1. oecd.org/pisa/PISA-2015-Results-Students-Well-being-Volume-III-Overview.pdf
2. HKFYG Youth Study Series 44: A Study on Cyber-bullying among Hong Kong Secondary Students
benetwise.hk/download/cyberbully_research.pdf
Other surveys
● polyu.edu.hk/apss/news-and-events/873-cyberbullying-among-secondary-students-in-hong-kong
● sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886917304592
● yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/109419/one-three-hk-students-
has-experienced-bullying-past-six-months-survey

If you need help, call HKFYG:

Hotline　2777 8899　　　　　　　Whatsapp　6277 8899　　　　　　SMS 24x7　9101 2012

23
 Services and support
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

Back to School
Wellness Mind Centre
Support Services
The beginning of this school year brought many new challenges for
Hong Kong youngsters after a long summer of social unrest. The New initiatives
emotional upheaval triggered by the turmoil prompted the HKFYG Youth Wellness Psychiatric Service
Wellness Mind Centre to launch a series of lectures, workshops and other
supportive programmes for schools, parents and the community.

For students
Emotion management skills training for recognizing and controlling emotions

Media literacy training for verifying the authenticity of online information

Scheme extended to include all
Campus bullying series to enhance resilience and empathy 10-29 year-olds

Peer counselling skills training for ways to identify Aim To shorten waiting time for
and cope with emotional distress professional consultations and
treatment
Plus
More details wmc.hkfyg.org.
● Healing kits With popular hk/2018/09/27/psychiatricservice/
counselling books: “Stress Relief”,
and “Emotionary”, caring cards and
self-help exercises for schools
Chinese Medicine Service Scheme
Available For schools via the Wellness
Mind Centre in late September

● Healing spaces Encouraging schools

to create places where emotionally
distressed students can go on campus

● Contemplation experience for parents Enhancing understanding

and support for emotional distressed students
For 10-29 year-olds with early
psychosomatic symptoms such as
Full details insomnia, tiredness, poor appetite,
stomach ache
Web wmc.hkfyg.org.hk/2019/08/28/backtoschool/
Aim To enhance motivation to seek
Registration for all programmes help and make it easier to respond
wmc.hkfyg.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/sites/77/2019/08/ well to stress
Back-to-School-Support-Service.pdf
More details wmc.hkfyg.org.hk/
Enquiries Hsu Siu-man tel 3422 3161 chinesemedicineservices/

24
 Perspectives
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Anti-bullying law proposal
• Discussions about the need for a formal mechanism to
control bullying in Hong Kong have increased with the
rise of cyberbullying.
• The Education Bureau and other authorities have not so
far considered anti-bullying laws or a mandatory
reporting mechanism necessary.
• MWYO, a Hong Kong think tank, puts forward a proposal
for new legislation.
“Making a Case for an Anti-Bullying Law in Hong Kong” is
the title of the study recently published by the Ming Wai Youth
Organization (MWYO), a youth-oriented think tank. Its
purpose is to “review the current status of laws and policies
addressing bullying and cyberbullying in Hong Kong with a
view to providing recommendations to the government from a
public policy perspective and filling the gap in local studies in
Hong Kong.”
Current situation
Recognizing that the burden of establishing and promoting
anti-bullying schemes has been borne mostly by schools,
MWYO says that legislation is needed to help address
deficiencies in measures taken to counteract bullying.
First, the proposal points out that there is no statutory
definition of bullying or cyberbullying in Hong Kong
which would allow unified detection or the collection and
reporting of statistics. The absence of a definition makes it
diifficult to offer effective guidelines to schools or to raise
awareness among the public. In its argument, MWYO
adopts the academic definition of bullying which specifies
three essential characteristics: unwanted aggressive
behaviour, observed or perceived power imbalance and
repetition of bullying behaviour.
Second, the study emphasizes the lack of awareness of what
constitutes bullying or cyberbullying among Hong Kong’s
general public. It reports that most people don’t recognize
bullying’s harmful effects, especially on the mental
wellbeing and long-term development of young people.
Instead, there is a tendency to treat school bullying and
cyberbullying as forms of minor conflict between peers
• 數碼欺凌情況愈趨嚴重，社會
亦有更多聲音討論應否為欺凌
問題設立常設機制。
• 教育局和當局暫時未有考慮就
欺凌問題立法或設立強制報告
機制。
• 本地智庫團體 MWYO 就立法措
施提交了意見書。
while expecting youth and adolescents to deal with it
themselves. [See Case Study 1, below.] Again, a clear
definition would help.
To illustrate its point, MWYO offers case studies and
explains that common types of school bullying include
physical aggression and verbal victimization as well as social
exclusion and extortion. [See Case Study 2.] Cyberbullying,
as reported in the study, includes repeated behaviour on
electronic or digital media that is intended to inflict harm
or discomfort to others. Harassment, cyberstalking, doxing,
impersonation, denigration and sexting all fall into this
category and it is not uncommon for school bullying and
cyberbullying to form a vicious cycle. [See Case Study 3.]
Third, there is no legal requirement for the city’s schools to
report incidents of bullying or to set up prevention
programmes. Instead, the Education Bureau (EDB) provides
a “School Administration Guide” which gives advice and
directions on matters that include bullying, together with
guidelines and suggestions for handling problems. The EDB
offers resource packages for educators and a reminder that
schools should maintain a clear zero tolerance stance on
bullying. Nonetheless, with no obligatory requirement for
schools to report bullying, MWYO notes that there is
passivity among schools; and without a formal reporting
mechanism, this is likely to lead to under-reporting.
Fourth, the study points out “the lack of transparency in
official bullying statistics.” The various government
departments and bureaus responsible for tackling bullying
include education, social welfare, law enforcement and
prosecution. The overlapping roles of different authorities
require a high level of coordination if they are to work
25
 Perpectives
September 2019 | Youth Hong Kong
together effectively and efficiently. However, the report says
that “a ‘silo’ mentality and the lack of coordination has led
to a rather ineffective and fragmented approach that is not
victim-friendly.”
Recommendations
The proposal’s key recommendation is a new anti-bullying
law with reference to overseas examples and three essential
elements. First, a statutory definition of bullying and
cyberbullying behaviours. Second, a statement covering the
obligations/responsibilities of educational institutions.
Third, redress mechanisms with remedies for victims.
MWYO also makes a short-term recommendation for
setting up an Anti-Bullying Working Group as soon as
possible. Its goals would be to raise public awareness of
bullying, encourage anti-bullying research, collect and
analyze data, and review current legislation and policy.
Medium-term action would include a public consultation.
The study goes on to recommend preventive methods using
a standard set of tools for regular assessment purposes
Case studies: lack of action
1: Low awareness, no clear definition and varying
interpretations
Two bullying incidents took place in university halls of
residence. Both featured the three key elements of bullying:
unwanted aggressive behaviour, observed or perceived
power imbalance and repetition of bullying behaviour. First,
a male student claimed that he was being harassed and
intimidated by more than 20 other students who on one
occasion had poured wax over his genitals. Second, a male
bully slapped the face of another male student with his
genitals while several other students held him down.
Disciplinary action was taken by the halls in question but a
spokesperson said the incidents constituted “ragging”, also
known as “hazing”, rather than bullying.
2: Extortion bullying: no school follow-up or
prosecution
A Secondary 3 student, Wong, demanded HK$680 as a
birthday gift from a classmate who had offered HK$500. A
WhatsApp chat record showed Wong had also threatened to
beat Chu up with his gang. Chu then complied without
informing either the school or his parents. Another
schoolmate, outraged by the bullies, posted details of the
incident and the perpetrator’s identity in an online forum,
revealing Wong’s Facebook account, details of his family
26
designed to facilitate an evidence-based and up-to-date anti-
bullying policy. For intervention purposes, it recommends
that statutory law states clearly the responsibility of schools
to report and track any bullying incidents and imposes
administrative punishment on schools that handle bullying
cases improperly.
Independent redress mechanisms for victims are also
recommended, including the power of parents or guardians to
apply for an administrative review regarding measures taken by
personnel in educational institutions. A statutory body/agency
would hear such cases, mediate and follow up appropriately.
Conclusion
Bullying has potential long-term negative physical and
psychological outcomes for victims, bystanders and
perpetrators. Current legislation and policies have
regulatory, awareness and enforcement shortcomings, and
the lack of a statutory definition contributes to low
awareness of the meaning and occurrence of bullying. An
Anti-Bullying Working Group can synchronize efforts to
rectify such limitations.
members and personal photos without his consent. Wong
then asked Chu to forgive him, saying he would return the
money. When the school and parents learnt about the
incident, the school said it would notify the police but in
response to inquiries from a local newspaper, the police,
said they had received no such report.
3: Vicious cycle of traditional and cyberbullying
Heung’s Secondary 1 classmates slammed a door
deliberately on his fingers as he entered a classroom. Even
though his hand was quite badly injured, a video clip
showed that a teacher who entered the classroom
immediately after Heung took no action and neither did the
other students present. Chan, one of the perpetrators, then
created a group on Facebook and posted hurtful photos of
Heung, thus exposing him to both traditional bullying and
cyberbullying. The school principal denied it, insisting that it
was just an accident and refusing to report the matter to the
police. Details then spread rapidly in an online forum where
comments showed general dissatisfaction about the
school’s lack of action. Personal information about Chan
and another perpetrator was then posted, thereby making
the bullies into victims as well. Although the matter received
widespread coverage in local media, no further action was
taken by the authorities.
Lack of coordination among government agencies that deal
with cases of bullying makes it harder for victims or bullies
to seek redress efficiently. To tackle this issue, MWYO
considers a supportive legal and policy framework to be
essential. Without it, the study concludes, the effectiveness
of any anti-bullying work will be undermined.
MWYO is an independent think tank that studies youth
issues in Hong Kong. Its work includes research studies
and surveys, advocacy and education, and training and
capacity building.
mwyo.org/index.php/english/about_us#
The full text of the study can be found at:
mwyo.org/index.php/english/analyses/bullying
*Note Ragging and hazing both refer to the practice of
rituals, challenges and other activities involving
harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of
initiating a person into a group.
Learning from overseas countries
Many developed countries have an anti-bullying law
and the United Nations emphasizes the importance of
specific legislation to protect children against violence,
stating that it is an “essential building block of a strong
national child protection system.” MWYO’s study refers
to strategies adopted in several overseas countries
including the US, Denmark, South Korea and New
Zealand to support its arguments. For example:
The US has a federal statutory definition of bullying
which includes cyberbullying.
South Korea has rules enforced by an administrative
body to tackle bullying problems as well as legislation
that leads to prosecution.
New Zealand demonstrates how legislation can fill
loopholes by ordering the removal of harmful
cyberbullying content and introducing penalties for
failure to do so.
Sources
US: Facts about bullying. https://www.stopbullying.gov/media/facts/index.html
Republic of Korea: Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against Violence in
Schools, No. 7119 of 2004. elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=24031&type=new&key=
New Zealand The Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015.
legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2015/0063/latest/whole.html
27
 On the Agenda
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong
Action against cyberbullies
• How can cyberbullying be combatted, given
its potential for subtlety and anonymity?
• Moderators hired by internet platform
providers screen content of posts, enforce
internal policies and train AI systems.
• An innovative form of shield for potential victims is
now also offered by social media which reminds users
about offensive material before they post online.
Social media can be a nightmarish place for targets of bullies.
Many teens discover that embarrassing photos or videos of
themselves have been shared without their consent. A girl
might tag an ex-boyfriend in posts that show her with other
boys. A group of friends might gang up and deliberately
exclude someone. Others will take a screenshot of a photo,
alter it and reshare it, or just mock it in a group chat.
Creating artificial intelligence (AI) to combat bullying such
as this means teaching machines to master a continuously
evolving problem with complex nuances. The subtlety
of language makes this very difficult. Furthermore,
social media posts often use slang and local idiom which
change often, especially in languages such as Cantonese.
A further complication is the identification of bullying
without words. Is anything being done about this?
28
• 由於網上欺凌較為隱閉及難以察覺，
我們可以如何應付？
• 網絡平台供應商聘用專家檢查發布
內容、制定內部政策，並開發人工
智能系統。
• 社交媒體現已提供創新的方法保護
潛在受害者，提醒用戶處理涉及攻
擊的內容。
by Elaine Morgan
With the dramatic increase in manipulative and malicious
content, there’s been an explosion in the market for
content moderation services. Provided as the primary
shield against hateful language, violent videos and online
cruelty uploaded by users, these services are not provided
by AI or an algorithm. They are offered by people.
Mostly invisible, hundreds of thousands of commercial
content moderators evaluate posts from maybe three billion
social media users on mainstream platforms every day. They
enforce internal policies, train AI systems and actively screen
and remove offensive material — sometimes thousands of
items per day per person. Facebook and other platforms use
contracted content moderators working around the clock,
evaluating posts in more than 50 languages at more than 20
sites around the world. Tech giants including Microsoft and
Google have been investing in scalable AI content solutions
as a possible substitute, but the judgment-intensive nature
of content moderation work requires the human touch.
Other ways in which online platform operators have begun
to stand up for victims of bullying include Instagram’s new
software. It has been using a “bullying filter” since 2017
to hide toxic comments and more recently it began using
machine learning to detect attacks on users’ appearance
or character, or threats against individuals that appear in
photographs and captions. It allows action to be taken
against those who repeatedly post offensive content.
Instagram’s latest tool is an AI-powered comment filter
called Rethink that detects potentially offensive comments
and then asks the commenter if they are sure they want
to post them. The company hopes that by means of such
 timely reminders, potential bullies
might think again about what
they are about to do. Its other
new product is called Restrict. It
works by playing on teenagers’
dislike of blocking a bully who
is a peer because not only will
that betray their hurt feelings but
also stop them from observing
what the bully does next.

Will it work? The jury is out,

but until AI can detect and warn
about the most ingenious and
insidious bullying tactics, the
ultimate responsibility will lie
with human beings to offer both
prevention and intervention.

Anti-bullying news roundup

Hong Kong The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in Hong Kong acts as Read more
official watchdog for cyberbullying. In a recent press statement responding to • Roberts, ST. Behind the Screen.Yale, 2019.
complaints, he urged internet users to respect others’ privacy, reminding that online
• everestgrp.com/2019-05-four-key-
disclosure of personal data and bullying acts may break the law by contravening the trends-in-social-media-content-
Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. It may also incur civil and criminal liabilities. The moderation-blog-50195.html/
Commissioner is not empowered to issue directives but he also requested social
• theverge.com/2019/2/25/18229714/
media platforms and online discussion forum operators to ask users to delete cognizant-facebook-content-
offensive posts and stop posting harmful content. moderator-interviews-trauma-
working-conditions-arizona
Canada Abusive or hate speech is notoriously difficult to detect because people use
offensive language for all sorts of reasons and some of the nastiest comments do not • pcpd.org.hk/english/news_events/
media_statements/press_20190719.
use offensive words. Researchers at McGill University in Montreal are training htmlphys.org/news/2019-06-ai-
algorithms to detect hate speech by teaching them how specific communities such technology-cyberbullying.html
as ethnic minorities and those who are overweight use specific words.
• pcpd.org.hk/english/news_events/
Belgium Researchers at Ghent University trained a machine learning algorithm to speech/files/HKU_Cyberbullying_
identify words and phrases associated with bullying on the social media site AskFM. Conference_4Sept2018.pdf
It managed to detect and block almost two-thirds of insults within almost 114,000 • bbc.com/future/story/20190207-
posts in English and was more accurate than a simple keyword search, despite how-artificial-intelligence-
can-help-stop-bullying
struggling with sarcasm.
• time.com/5619999/instagram-mosseri-
Japan Elementary, junior and senior high schools in Japan reported more than bullying-artificial-intelligence/
410,000 cases of bullying in 2017. One school now feeds information to AI software
• techxplore.com/news/2019-01-
about thousands of suspected bullying cases in elementary and junior high schools, deep-learning-based-method-
including details of students’ ages, genders, absenteeism records and academic cyberbullying-twitter.html
achievements, as well as when and where any bullying incidents took place. Japan
• researchgate.net/
also has legislation that obliges schools to set guidelines to prevent bullying. publication/327983467_Deep_Learning_
Saudi Arabia Cyberbullying detection on Twitter is using deep learning called OCDD Algorithm_for_Cyberbullying_Detection
developed by researchers at King Saud University. In contrast with other deep- • japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/08/
learning approaches which extract features from tweets and feed them to a classifier, national/city-otsu-use-ai-analyze-past-
their method represents a tweet as a set of word vectors which capture their school-bullying-cases-eye-future-
prevention/#.XTRDUegzY2x
semantic meaning. The researchers are now planning to adapt their approach so that
it can also analyze text in Arabic. • arxiv.org/abs/1905.03403

29
 Perspectives
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

Not whether to
legislate but how
What parameters might restrict the scope of new legislation against
bullying? First, many laws already exist that create criminal offences for
various forms of bullying behaviour. For example, face-to-face bullying
may involve physical assault or the aggression may be in the form of
exhibitionism, sex-trafficking or attempts to extort money or favours. It
may also be about making others do the bully’s bidding, be it helping a
gang sell drugs, participating in gang fights or thefts, or mere servitude.

Most of these activities are already covered by one or more provisions that
already exist in the criminal law. If this is the case, not only is it unnecessary
to create another offence, but to do so may cause unnecessary complexity.
There could, furthermore, arise the possibility of a bully being charged for
the wrong offence and escaping with no punishment.

Many laws already exist that

create criminal offences for
various forms of bullying.

On the other hand, bullying may be about being nasty

in an Instagram post or humiliating someone on social media. In other words,
inflicting psychological pain. Bullying behaviour can also be somewhere in between
these two alternatives, such as exercising control over someone in a romantic
relationship or workplace or between otherwise consenting partners, even
within marriages. It is much more difficult to draw the latter two facets
of bullying within the ambit of existing criminal offence provisions.
Clearly, they can create significant social problems and cause equal
suffering as bullying in person, and make targets equally suicidal.

At the other end of the spectrum, bullying, including acts of

intimidation, stalking and violence, may be engaged in by
people suffering what psychiatry recognizes as genuine mental
or psychiatric illnesses such as psychosis or schizophrenia. In
such cases, the laws relating to committal of such persons to
psychiatric hospitals may need to be modified and, ideally,
the law needs to ensure that such persons also come to the
attention of an anti-bullying infrastructure agency, as well as the
police, the judicial system and the mental health authorities.

30

Bullies with psycho-sociological issues such as
narcissists and sociopaths are perhaps less likely to
be genuinely suffering from mental illness. Although
they are easily recognizable to the trained eye, they are
more or less untreatable. They may respond to sanctions
being imposed by the law enforcement community, but
because of their conviction of their own superiority and
lack of both empathy and remorse, only rarely would they
voluntarily alter their antisocial and bullying behaviour.
They are untouchable until they commit an offence.
Although the law alone cannot be expected to remedy
all such problems, it may have a role to play, if not in
criminalizing the activities, then in providing an “anti-
bullying infrastructure.” This would include police
and social services helplines, obligatory reporting by
schools, counselling and dispute resolution services.
As mentioned, it is not desirable to duplicate
or even create new offences unless absolutely
necessary to fill identified gaps in the existing
criminal law. The existing law can deal
with most bullying by criminals and by
potential criminals seeking money, sex
or servitude, though of course criminal
offence definitions need to be examined
closely to detect gaps and weaknesses.
In the bulk of serious bullying
situations, the primary concern
should be protecting and finding a
remedy for the victims. Therefore, the
creation of a specialist anti-bullying
• In the context of the recent anti-bullying law
proposal [see pages 25-27], Dr Gary Heilbronn
asks how legislation can be effective.
• He says we need to ask what evils new legislation
could remedy and how effective legal remedies
might be.
• He strongly recommends a specialist anti-
bullying infrastructure agency with effective
response, counselling and referral functions.
• 就 25 至 27 頁提及的立法問題，Gary Heilbronn 博
士關注如何能定立有實際作用的法案。
• 他認為，我們要了解新法例能如何協助解決問題，
又如何可有效修補受害人所受到的創傷。
• 他強烈建議設立由專家組成的反欺凌機構，以進行
回應、諮詢及協調。
It is not desirable to duplicate
or even create new offences
unless absolutely necessary.
infrastructure agency with response, counselling and
referral functions that are effective, especially with regard
to troubled schoolchildren, should be a high priority.
Effective legal action is especially problematic in cases
of cyberbullying. As pointed out in past articles in this
magazine,* loopholes in current civil and criminal sanctions
allow cases to slip through the gaps. Therefore, an overall,
multifold approach is recommended, involving an effective
interdisciplinary agency, a clear definition of bullying
behaviours and an exhaustive list of prohibited acts.
Dr Gary Heilbronn, a former teacher at the
University of Hong Kong and a past contributor to
Youth Hong Kong, has had a long career as a practising
lawyer and a law professor, specializing in criminal
procedure, police powers, sentencing responses and
the psychiatric aspects of crime.
* Stephanie Hung and Andrew Lau, pages 18-20, Youth Hong Kong September 2016.
31
 Youth watch
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

Bullying statistics and trends

I nternational surveys of school and online bullying reveal that almost a third of all
students have been bullied by peers at school and cyberbullying affects about 10%.
Variations in country and regional survey methods make comparisons difficult so indicative
snapshots are offered.

AT SCHOOL HONG KONG

5
u Of 7,025 primary students asked about their experience:
GLOBAL AND REGIONAL SURVEYS ● 70% had experienced physical aggression or bullying
The latest global findings on school bullying are in ● 87% had witnessed verbal bullying
1
UNESCO’s June 2019 report which brings together ● 52% had verbally bullied others
data from a wide range of surveys including the ● 62% had been verbally abused by peers.
2
Global School-based Student Health Survey , 6
u Among 5,000 secondary school students in the PISA survey ,
the HBSC Health Behaviour in School-aged about a third had been bullied. A more recent local NGO survey
7
3 4
Children study and the OECD PISA survey. confirmed the PISA figure and found that:
● 35%+ had been bullied by peers
These show that almost one in three students around
● 26.1% had been made fun of
the world has been bullied by their peers at school
at least once and cyberbullying affects about one in ● 9.5% reported being hit or pushed
ten. In all regions except Europe and North America, MAINLAND CHINA
physical bullying is the most common and sexual
bullying is second most common. In Europe and North Data were collected from 3,675 students’ self-reports in seven
provinces, (Liaoning, Beijing, Jiangsu, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangdong
America, psychological bullying is the most common.
and Gansu) and included primary, middle, high and vocational
8
schools.
Figure 1 Bullying roles according to US statistics
u 26.10% of students reported having been bullied
u 9% admitted to bullying others
u 28.9% had witnessed bullying
18%
Any involvement Note The researchers say the term “bullying” was not appropriate in the Chinese context due to

41% Victim “translation challenges” so they described behavioural phenomena instead. Questions were mainly adopted
10% from the School Crime Supplement developed by the US National Center for Education Statistics.
Perpetrator
8% Both roles US
10

No involvement
23% u 20% of students aged 12-18 experienced bullying
u 30% of young people admited to bullying others
u 70.6% of young people said they saw bullying in their schools
u 70.4% of school staff saw bullying
Figure 2 Types of bullying in the US
u 62% observed bullying two or more times a month
Bullying Type
Social media remarks 10% UK
Sexual comments 23% 9
27% In an annual national survey of 12-20 year-olds:
Stealing belongings
Threats 27% u 22% said they had been bullied in the past year
Hitting/ kicking 29% ● 49% of these had experienced physical assault
Pushing/ shoving 32% u 22% had witnessed bullying
Being left out 28% u 2% said they had bullied someone
Spreading rumours 36%
Of those who admitted to having been a bully:
Teasing 43%
Name calling 44% u 54% said they used verbal bullying
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 u 44% said they felt guilty afterwards
Source study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html u 34% said they felt numb or indifferent
32
 Figure 3 Doxed Hong Kong secondary students
Types of information exposed Boy Girls Average

Personal photos or videos 27.7% 35.5% 31.4%

ONLINE Name
Birthday
24.4%
18.8%
36%
30%
29.9%
24.4%
Reports about cyberbullies, victims and bystanders over Who shared the information
the past 10 years have shown large variations depending Classmates 46.5% 54.3% 50.7%
on age group, gender, country, data gathering techniques Parents/ family members 20.8% 28% 24.6%
11
and research methodology. Nevertheless, 2018 figures I don't know 32.5% 17.8% 24.7%
already revealed alarming facts about online harassment. Platform used
Instant Messenger 53.7% 67.8% 61.3%
HONG KONG Social networking site 44.7% 63.7% 54.9%
Chat room 9.7% 8.8% 9.2%
12
u 25% of school students have experienced cyberbullying
● 26.7% of the incidents involved arguments US
● 25.8% involved harassment
u 70% of students say someone has spread rumours
● 23.2% involved the spreading of rumours about them online
● 29.5% seek help from their peers u 59% of students say they have been bullied or
● 12.6% seek help from parents harassed online
● 40% deal with the problem alone u 83% of students who have been cyberbullied had
u 58% of university students admit to cyberbullying others also been recently bullied at school
● 68% of these perpetrators had been cyber-victimized u 69% of students who admitted to bullying others at
13 21
themselves school also bullied online
u 50%+ of a sample group of over 2,000 secondary school students
14
have been doxed* Sources
● 12.5% of the victims felt severely depressed 1. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366483
2. cdc.gov/gshs/index.htm
● 66.4% did nothing about it
3. hbsc.org/publications/datavisualisations/
* Doxing is where personal information and photos are searched for and published on social media and
4. PISA.oecd.org/pisa/PISA-2015-Results-Students-Well-being-Volume-III-Overview.pdf (2015)
instant messaging apps without consent.]
5. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0044118X07310134 (2008)
6. PISA op cit
MAINLAND CHINA 7. yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/109419/one-three-hk-students-has-experienced-bullying-
past-six-months-survey (2018)
8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664617/ (2016)
u 57% of parents say online messaging is the most common
15 9. ditchthelabel.org
platform for cyberbullying
10. nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/ind_10.asp (2017)
u 23% say that it also happens on social networks 11. researchgate.net/publication/327554372_Cyberbullying_A_narrative_review
● 75% of youth reported being targets of online insults or 12. yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/109419/one-three-hk-students-has-experienced-bullying-
16 past-six-months-survey (2018)
sarcasm
13. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886917304592
● 50% approximately had been sent malicious or threatening 14. polyu.edu.hk/apss/news-and-events/873-cyberbullying-among-secondary-students-in-hong-kong
messages online 15. ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2018-06/cyberbullying_june2018.pdf
● 60%> ignored abuse received online 16. china.org.cn/china/2018-12/26/content_74313683.htm

● <10% told parents or friends about it 17. injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2017/04/06/injuryprev-2016-042210

18. ditchthelabel.org
u Among middle school, junior high and high school students in 19. ibid
17
Guangzhou: 20. dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying
● 28% of participants reported being a cyberbully 21. sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221102036.htm

● 45% reported being a cyber-victim

Read more about cyberbullying in Hong Kong and mainland China
● Chan, H C & Wong, DS. Coping with cyberbullying victimization: An exploratory study of Chinese

UK adolescents in Hong Kong. 2017. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756061616302026

● Chan, H C & Wong, DS. Traditional School Bullying and Cyberbullying Perpetration.
2016. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0044118X16658053
u 60% of young people have witnessed online bullying but most
● Chan, HC & Wong, DS. Traditional school bullying and cyberbullying in Chinese societies. 2015
don’t intervene
18
● sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178915000725
u 54% have been a target of cyberbullying ● Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyberbullying Research in
19
u 49% who have been bullied say it happened online China. 2018. cyberbullying.org/research/map/china
20 ● Han, Z., Zhang, G., & Zhang, H. School bullying in urban China. 2017
u 42% say most often cyberbullying is experienced on Instagram
● mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/10/1116/htm
u 20% those who admitted to bullying say they did so online
● KFYG. A study on cyber bullying of secondary school students. 2010.
● yrc. hkfyg.org.hk/chi/ys44.html

33
 Talking point
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

A letter to parents
from Clara Lu

Whenever I talk to my friends and describe the relationship

I have with my mother, I am always asked the same
question: “How come you two are so close?” At first, I
struggled to find an answer because it had never occurred
to me that my relationship with my mother was in
any way different from that between all daughters and
mothers. However, after talking to my friends, it became
apparent that most children have distant relationships
with their parents. This discovery surprised me and
made me wonder about the reason. Eventually, I reached
the following conclusion: many parents fail to realize
that at every stage of a child’s life she or he has different
needs and each stage is just as important as the next.
The first ten years of a child’s life is crucial. It is the time
when parents do their best to help children establish
good habits for the future. They should also give their
children as many chances as possible to explore their
interests. However, it is important never to pressure
them. Nobody, especially children, likes to be told what
he or she can or cannot do. Instead of using force, guide
them or lead by example. Surround your children with
the things you hope will interest them. If you want them
to enjoy reading, read them a picture book each night.
If you want them to play an instrument, take them to
a concert once in a while or buy them toy instruments.
Children have an innate interest in the world around
them so let them discover their interests naturally.
It had never occurred to me
that my relationship with
my mother was in any way
different.
The same goes for daily life. When I was young,
my parents filled the dinner table with healthy food
but they never placed restrictions on me. Instead,
they simply never had unhealthy snacks in the
house so I naturally developed a liking for fruit and
vegetables and a distaste for anything too sweet.
When communicating with children during the early
years of their childhood, parents should never shy away
from expressing their love. All people enjoy feeling
special and that includes children. By expressing love,
you are constantly reminding them of their importance
in your life. By the time they are adults, this will have
helped them to gain self-esteem and face difficulties
more easily. The affection they felt in childhood will
give them the strength to overcome hardships.

34

When your child becomes a teenager, you should begin
sharing your life experiences with them. This will help
to develop one of the most important characteristics of a
good relationship: trust. Nobody in this world is perfect
and children know this, so they do not expect their parents
to be flawless. Displaying vulnerabilities is a way to give
other people an opportunity to empathize and connect and
this can ultimately kindle a more intimate relationship.
Nevertheless, being vulnerable is always a challenge. It
requires showing weaknesses and relinquishing ego, two
prominent traits in human nature. However, when it comes
to children, letting go of any selfish characteristic is always
worth it if it means establishing a closer relationship.
Mutual respect between parents and children also begins
to develop in the early teenage years. It is important to
keep in mind that respect is something that cannot be
forced. You do not need to be a well-established, venerated
member of society to gain a child’s respect. Instead, you
need to make rational decisions and understand when
to be strict and when to be lenient. Remember that
children have feelings and needs. Placing numerous
restrictions on them will only result in them wanting
to rebel. If you want their respect, treat them as if they
were your equals. Belittling and controlling them can
only damage your relationship. Once you give both
your trust and your respect, you will find that they are
reciprocated. Do not doubt yourself or your children.
Nobody in this world is
perfect and children know
this so they do not expect
their parents to be flawless.
I must emphasize how important it is to have a strong
parent-child relationship. Family is crucial. It is the one
entity that will be by your side no matter what. If you
don’t have a good fundamental relationship with your
children, the obstacles in life will be much harder to face.
Parents have to give up a lot for their children. I know
this because I’ve seen my mother do it every day, but in
the long run, I think you will find that it is worth it.
So, dear parents, while you may think that
communicating with your children when they are
under ten is not as important as when they become
teenagers, that’s false. Communicating with your
children at every stage of their lives is essential but each
stage requires a different way of communicating.
Clara Lu is a third-year
student at St Paul’s School in
Concord, New Hampshire, US.
She aspires to be a writer and
enjoys spending her free time
practising the piano and reading.
35
 Society & culture
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong 　
Future menus
maximizing the potential of vegetarian food
A few years ago, a lecturer introduced us in class to the
environmental impact of food from different animals.
He also spoke of “full-time vegans” and “flexitarians”,
the latter meaning people who only partially adopt
a vegetarian diet. At that moment, my ambition to
become an environmental heroine was born and with it
a strong motivation to stay “green” and save the Earth.
My first thought was, “Let’s go vegan for a week!”
I went straight to the university canteen and found that
among a hundred food items on the menu, only two
were vegan: veggie fried rice and tofu soup with rice,
both of which were extremely bland. Disappointed,
I didn’t even manage a week. After three days, I had
already given up my idea of becoming a vegan.
What are the top reasons people have for pursuing vegan
or vegetarian diets? Environmental considerations and
carbon footprint, also known as carbon intensity, are
always among them. For readers who haven’t heard of
carbon intensity, it is used to measure the amount of
carbon dioxide emitted as a result of the production
and consumption of certain products, including food.
Carbon Intensity (kgCO2e/kg)
Vegetables 0.6
Snacks, sugar 1.5
Cereals, breads 1.8
Chicken, fish, pork 3.7
Oils, spreads 4
Dairy 4.2
Beef, lamb
0 5 10
Carbon Intensity (kgCO2e/kg)
Source foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/food_miles_climate_impacts.pdf
36
This article is the first in a
series on sustainable living.
by Hazel Wong
You may wonder how food emits carbon dioxide. The
answer lies in the process of growing, farming or rearing
produce, then processing, packing and transporting it
before storing and cooking it. It also includes the disposal
of waste food products. During each stage, until the food
reaches your mouth and eventually leaves your body,
carbon dioxide is emitted through fuel consumption or
the simple respiration of living organisms. Therefore,
by quantifying the carbon intensity of various foods
and comparing them, as in the chart, we can see the
relative environmental harm they cause. When I saw
the numbers, I was shocked. The consumption of red
meat in general results in the emission of more than 30
times the amount of carbon dioxide than vegetables.
Food production alone is responsible for a quarter of all
carbon dioxide emissions, also called greenhouse gases,
which scientists tell us are the cause of environmental
damage, global warming and the resulting climate
change. Carbon intensity is also commonly referred to
as “carbon footprint”, and environmental scientists at
Oxford University1 found that of all the food products they
analyzed, beef and lamb had by far the largest footprint
and caused the most damage to the environment.2
19.5
15 20 25
Five-Colour Health Principle in Chinese Medicine
Colour Food examples
Red Carrots, tomatoes, red pepper, red beans
Green Broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, lettuces
Yellow Soy beans, corn, pumpkins
White Lotus root, potato, yam, radish, white fungus
Black Seaweed, kelp, black beans, mushrooms
Source imperialtcm.com/index.php/articles/item/11-the-five-colors-of-tcm
Other factors behind veganism and vegetarianism are health
and religion. For example, Catholic Christians abstain from
red meat on Fridays. Hindus do not eat eggs, fish, meat or
poultry but do eat dairy. Buddhists maintain stringent rules
about limiting meat consumption. People also cut down
or eliminate their meat intake to stay healthy, believing
it can lower blood cholesterol or avoid chronic diseases.
Being vegan seems to be the perfect lifestyle:
environmentally-friendly and healthy while satisfying
a variety of religious requirements. Nevertheless, a
local survey3 conducted by Green Monday, a social
enterprise that promotes green eating habits, reveals
that Hongkongers are not supportive of any vegetarian
diets. Only 3.7% of the respondents are full-time vegan
and 24% are “flexitarian”. This made me curious about
any factors that might be hindering the trend towards
veganism in Hong Kong. I concluded that Cantonese
people are dubious about the nutritional value of
vegan food and have a strong appetite for meat.
For generations, vegetarian food in Cantonese cuisine
was thought to be “unhealthy”. However, traditional
Chinese medicine does recommend a vegetarian diet in
a five-colour combination. Personally, my view is that
you don’t need to adhere fully to their recommendations
but certainly colourful food helps to boost the appetite.
One of the most iconic vegetarian items on a traditional
Cantonese menu is “Marinated Dough” ( 齋滷味 ) which
is soaked wheat gluten in sweet and sour sauce. This dish
is usually oily and fatty which makes me feel guilty about
eating it. Besides, some people in Hong Kong may struggle
Traditionally considered beneficial for
heart
liver
spleen and stomach
lungs
kidneys
to maintain adequate protein intake on a purely vegan
diet. Apart from gluten, tofu seems to be the only regular
substitute form of protein on offer, at least where my
university canteen’s menu is concerned. What is the answer?
According to HKU research4, the city has one of the
world’s highest levels of meat consumption per capita, at
least four times higher than the UK. Why? Perhaps people
here are emotionally attached to meat and the pleasure of
tasting it. Another study from Nielsen5 reveals that more
than half of Hongkongers eat at a fast-food restaurant
at least once a week. This may be due to the fast-paced
lifestyle of the city, or simply a delight in junk food.
Hongkongers eat an astonishing amount of meat However,
Hong Kong is now stepping into a new era – the era
of vegan junk food. I wasn’t aware of this trend until
I noticed that one of my senior university classmates
had opened a vegetarian restaurant. Out of curiosity,
I went to her shop in Tsim Sha Tsui and noticed a
surprisingly long queue. Inside the restaurant, many
young ladies were sitting and enjoying “meat” burgers.
Interestingly, all the food looked much more appetising
than the two vegan dishes in my university canteen.
I ordered a “meat burger” to try. Once served, I
investigated it in some detail before eating it. It
looked exactly like meat, but I noticed a little flag [see
photo]. It told me that I was about to eat a piece of
“Impossible Meat.” What shocked me more was the
taste. If nobody had told me otherwise I would certainly
have believed it was real meat. In fact it was vegan.
37
 Society & culture
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong 　
pp Vegan meat burger + Vegan drum stick
Impossible Meat is made by a company called Impossible
Food, one of several companies that have developed plant-
based “meat” that is known for a realistic texture and a taste
that mimics real meat. In fact, there has been rapid growth
recently in the development of this new category of “meat,”
which is now available on the menus of some of Hong
Kong’s well-known fast-food restaurants and café chains.
Vegan: some of the options
Beyond Meat ground “beef”
burgers, crumbles and sausages
Field Roast “cheese” sausages,
slices, roasts, burgers, and meatloaf
Gardein fishless fish, crab-less
cakes, meatless “meatballs”
Impossible Foods ground “beef”,
sausages, [steaks in the pipeline]
Tofurky roasts, sausages and slices
Yves Veggie Cuisine grain
strips, jumbo hot dogs,
and Canadian “bacon”
Zhen meat Vegetable protein
designed for Chinese cuisine
1. ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b0b53649-5e93-4415-bf07-
6b0b1227172f
2. bbc.com/news/science-environment-46459714
3. greenmonday.org/post/greenmonday-2018-survey-result/
4. scifac.hku.hk/f/news/4061/20180530_Eng_press_release__
greenhouse.pdf
5. nielsen.com/hk/en/insights/article/2018/hong-kong-consumers-
health-conscious-enjoyment-in-a-practical-way/
6. scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3016885/
patty-facts-whats-plant-based-meat-burger-and-it-better
38
Although some people may think the price of such
products is higher than that of traditional meat, there
is evidence to suggest that its higher nutritional value
compensates for the higher cost. The “meat” from the
two above-mentioned companies has been found to have
lower fat content, to be lower in saturated fats and to
have zero cholesterol while maintaining a high level of
protein when compared to real meat. Maybe this will
give more incentive to give it a try, just to stay healthy.
It is never too late to start out on a vegan lifestyle. It’s
a personal choice but asking advice from a nutritionist
could be useful if you decide to be a full-time vegan.
Even as a student of environmental science, I wouldn’t
push anyone into giving up meat completely because
animal-based products have a few nutrients that can’t
yet be compensated fully by vegan food. However, the
technology of artificial meat is advancing quickly and the
trend for veganism will become more common in Hong
Kong. So next time, don’t be surprised if you find that the
“meat” you just ate wasn’t real meat at all. Stay healthy
and combine ancient wisdom and modern vegan food!
Vegetarian or vegan?
The difference between a
vegetarian and a vegan lies in
beliefs regarding the use of animals
by humans: some vegetarians
consume animal-derived products
where vegans do not. Most
vegetarians do not eat any meat,
poultry, game, fish, shellfish or by-
products of animal slaughter. A
vegan diet can be viewed as the
strictest form of vegetarianism.
It excludes animal flesh and
pp My vegan lunch: sweet and sour “pork” − looks
animal-derived ingredients,
like meat and tastes like mushrooms. More work is
dairy products and eggs. needed on the texture but probably healthier than
the real thing.
Hazel Wong, a past contributor to Youth Hong Kong,
graduated in Environmental Management & Technology
at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
She is currently a sustainability intern with Fossil Group
and will go on to do a master’s degree in Environmental
Systems Engineering at University College London.
 New in Print
professional titles and talented writers
Eleven books were published by the Federation this summer: eight in our professional
series and three from talented young writers. Let’s find out more!

Good Morning, Island

Cherry, a young Hong Kong reporter, chose to live in Taiwan for three
and-a-half years, taking freelance jobs to support her lifestyle. Her Taiwan
experiences are an inspiration for other young people in Hong Kong.
“There’s always a choice” is the message she most wants to share.

HKFYG books 2019

Youth and the Law II – Storypicks

Cases Analyzed by Lawyers 好家伙．繪本閱讀之道
and Social Workers ISBN: 978-988-77134-7-0
Price: HK$90
青年與法律 II
ISBN: 978-988-77134-8-7 ● Kindergarten principals and experts
Price: HK$90 provide tips for parents who want
to encourage children to read
● Around 50 real legal cases in five new areas,
including gambling, fraud and violence ● Sharing ideas about eight storybooks
and using them wisely
● Second volume of analysis by
lawyers and social workers

Turning Point IV Youth Trends in Hong Kong 2018

重新出發 IV 香港青年趨勢分析 2018
ISBN: 978-988-77134-7-0 ISBN: 978-988-79950-7-4
Price: HK$90 Price: HK$120
● Real stories of eight young people ● Latest statistics about Hong
who did wrong and then started new Kong youth with analysis
lives helped by supportive people

Stress Relief Good Morning, Island

解憂手冊 早安．島嶼
ISBN: 978-988-77134-9-4 ISBN: 978-988-79950-0-5
Price: HK$100 Price: HK$100
● 40 practical stress-release suggestions ● Young Hong Kong reporter
for everyone, including understanding and chooses to live in Taiwan
expressing emotions and finding ways out ● Tips on experimenting with different lifestyles
● Helping readers to be more self-aware
and good company for others

40
 Funny Days
Talented sisters, one good with words and the other
with illustrations, offer readers their passion for life
revealed by memories of funny moments and sunny
days. Youngsters will recognize familiar stories and find
something to laugh at when they feel stressed out.

Shutter Clicks
Famous photographer Jess is keen to teach camera tips
to young people. She is also keen on travelling the
world. Through her lens and her writing, readers will
understand more about appreciating life as Jess does.

Shutter Clicks
咔嚓！遊攝女生
ISBN: 978-988-79950-2-9
Price: HK$90
● Young female photographer travelling the
world shares thoughts and images
● With tips for taking photos
Parenting Knot-Nots
● Special dual-cover design
. 生嚿叉燒好過生你──家長失言錄
ISBN: 978-988-79950-4-3
Price: HK$100
● More than 30 things that parents might
say when angry or emotional, damaging
From Local to Global - communication with their children
Leading Changes
● Social workers give practical suggestions
向世界學習
ISBN: 978-988-79950-5-0
Price: HK$100
● How to be a leader? How to train a leader?
This book gives concrete examples and Funny Days
describes global leaders at all levels.
廢青姊妹日常
ISBN: 978-988-79950-1-2
Price: HK$100
● Talented sisters share illustrated
tales about funny days

GBA: Not Far Away

粵港澳大灣區──通識必讀手冊
ISBN: 978-988-79950-3-6
Price: HK$90
● Introducing 11 Greater Bay Area cities,
including two SARs, to Hong Kong students
● Young people share their thoughts
after a short GBA trip

Visit our online book store to find out more: books.hkfyg.org.hk

Contact Ada Chau tel 3755 7108 with enquiries

41
 A Diversity of Talent
A rich pool of talent gives a region a significant economic advantage, especially when, like
Hong Kong, it lacks natural resources. Given the city’s low birth rate and ageing population,
talented people are particularly important.
Hong Kong has six schemes to attract talented* people. Two of
them, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) and the
Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS), target talent* of
high quality to make up for shortages. In 2018, 66,176 people from
overseas with a good educational background or a strong
professional qualification were approved under all six schemes.
However, the percentage of the total workforce represented by
these admissions was only 1.67%.
Although direct comparisons with other countries are difficult given
variations in metrics used, 1.67% is a low figure compared to that for
immigrant labour in Singapore, which has talent admission schemes
similar to Hong Kong, and where the percentage of talented immigrant
workers is 5.1%. It is very low when compared to Switzerland, which
ranks first in the world for overall talent environment and where 31.1%
of the workforce comes from overseas.**
Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland all welcome talented people
from overseas but Hong Kong appears to be much less attractive and
has no proactive strategy or incentives. At the time of this study,
possible reasons were given a perceived lower quality of life in Hong
Kong, an extremely relaxed immigration and residency policy in
Switzerland and a specialized agency for attracting talent in Singapore.
Report No. 43 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S.
Employment and Economic Development group
Published title Attracting Diverse Young Talents to Hong Kong
Participants/respondents In-depth interviews
with 21 talented 18-39-year-olds from overseas. Five
experts and scholars were also interviewed.
More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/2019/06/27/yi043/
Enquiries Amy Yuen 3755 7037
1. Singapore Ministry of Manpower, 2019. mom.gov.sg/documents-and-publications/foreign-workforce-numbers
2. Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2019. bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/news/whats-new.assetdetail.7767426.html
3. IMD World talent ranking 2018. imd.org/wcc/world-competitiveness-center-rankings/talent-rankings-2018/
42 4. Lanvin, B. & Monteiro, F. (eds.) The global talent competitiveness index. France: INSEAD, the Adecco Group, and Tata Communications, 2019.
Key findings
● Only 555 and 40 overseas employees respectively were approved
in 2018 under QMAS and TechTAS, figures far below the annual
quota of 1,000 for both schemes.
● According to the in-depth interviews, the city’s high housing
costs are the main obstacle to inward migration of talent.
● Other discouraging factors mentioned include concerns about
the city’s declining international image, its political environment
and the language barrier between Cantonese- and non-
Cantonese speakers.***
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
Ernest Chan, group convener “Attracting overseas talent is
controversial in Hong Kong. The present schemes which target
shortages can sometimes affect opportunities for local youth.
Hong Kong should use a multipronged approach including
strategies for maximizing the potential of its existing workforce
and enhancing the number of well-qualified local people.”
William Du, group member “The government should set up an
agency responsible for the overall coordination and publicity of talent
recruitment schemes. Hong Kong private companies should also
be helped to seek talent proactively and those with shortages could
launch international internship programmes to build connections.”
Issac Poon, group member “Tertiary educational institutions
should diversify methods for recruiting international students
and attracting overseas exchange students. The government
should also consider providing a time-limited housing subsidy
for talented people admitted under QMAS and TechTAS.”
Notes
* The term “talented” people” as used in this study means people with
a good educational background and professional or technical
qualifications/professional experience.
** This figure does not differentiate between qualifications or talent and
is used indicatively only. According to the IMD World Talent Ranking
3 4
2018 and The Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2019 ,
Switzerland ranks first in the world for overall talent environment
while Singapore ranks first in Asia.
*** For instance, an interviewee from mainland China with a master’s
degree in Hong Kong said that she had tried to find a job after
graduating but potential employers had reservations when faced with
her inability to speak Cantonese.
 The Co-living Alternative
S oaring property prices have made Hong Kong the world’s least affordable housing
market. This study explored co-living as an affordable alternative.
1
According to Demographia, Hong Kong’s median property price Key findings
was 20.9 times the median household income in 2018. Furthermore, 25.6% of respondents would consider co-living but 68.3% would not.
public housing meets few of the needs of young people because of
the large number of applicants and the Quota and Points System. Main reasons:
This is why the co-living concept has gained traction in recent years ● 61.0%: savings on rent
and more young people are opting for it. It combines private living ● 41.1%: larger living space
space with shared facilities and expenses while encouraging
residents to build personal networks and join social events. ● 60.6% have major concerns about lack of privacy

Main barriers to developing co-living space in Hong Kong:

Figure 1: Would you consider living in co-living space?
● lack of suitable buildings
● lack of awareness about co-living
I don’t My home ● strict legal regulations for building renovation
know/ it’s now is in ● difficulty in encouraging interpersonal communication/ networking
hard to say YES a co-living
space
No Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
Ronald Chan & Jewel Ho, group members
“The supply of housing in Hong Kong falls short of young
people’s needs so the government should adopt multipronged
Figure 2: Reasons for co-living measures to increase the range of alternatives. Co-living
is a short-term housing solution because it can use vacant
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
buildings. We also hope that co-living in Hong Kong will
serve as a more affordable housing option for youth.”
Savings on rent 61.0%
Darcy Fung & David Li, group member
Larger personal living space 41.1% “The Housing Authority is considering the reuse of renovated
flatted factory estates as residential units. We recommend
More convenient location 35.5%
that it reserves parts of such units for youth co-living spaces.
More ways to socialize 28.4% Furthermore, the government should encourage social
responsibility among privately owned enterprises through suitable
Building a support network
with other residents 15.6% reuse of vacant school premises for a trial co-living scheme.”

Figure 3 : Reasons for not choosing co-living

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Report No. 44 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S.

Society and Livelihood group

Lack of privacy 60.6%
Published title Co-Living: An Alternative
Possibility of not liking
another resident 36.1% Hong Kong Housing Solution for Youth?
Different habits of Respondents 520 youth aged 18-30
other residents 30.7%
More expenses than More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/2019/08/21/yi044/
when living with parents 22.3%
Enquiries Beji Ho 3755 7042
Limited autonomy in
daily life decisions 21.7%

1. demographia.com/dhi.pdf

43
 Enhancing District Councils' Effectiveness
T his study asks how District Councils might respond more effectively to society’s changing
demands and expectations in the approach of elections in November.
The Hong Kong’s District Administration Scheme established District
Councils (DCs) in 1982. The aims were to promote community

by Moddlyg commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31210932
development while nurturing civic responsibility and a sense of
1
belonging but the DCs performance has always been criticized.
Worse, the number of consultations on both district and territory-wide
issues referred to the DCs by government dropped from 15,500 to
14,700 between the third term of the DC offices (2008 – 2011) and the
fifth term (2016-2019).
Nevertheless, DCs have had growing significance in Hong Kong’s
political landscape and currently there are six DC members of the
Legislative Council, and 117 members of the current 1,200-member
Election Committee for Chief Executive are DC members.

Key points from respondents

● 75.0% think they have a responsibility to monitor DCs.
● 74.1% think that transparency of information from DCs is low.
● 74.0% do not trust DCs.
● 72.5% think there are few talented people in DCs.
● 62.5% say they would like to be more involved in DCs' decision-
making.
● 34.4% say that DCs’ major function is to reflect residents' views
to the government.
● 33.3% believe that DCs’ greatest potential value is as a symbol
of the representation of public opinion.
Nevertheless, the DCs’ performance was in fact considered poor in:
● advising the government on community matters [averaging 4.72
on a 0-10 scale]
● promoting residents’ participation in district affairs [averaging 4.64
on a 0-10 scale]
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
Ray Poon, group convener “The DCs have been in
operation for more than 37 years during which Hong Kong
society has experienced many changes, yet their role and
function has not been assessed for over a decade. We
therefore recommend a comprehensive government review,
particularly concerning their effectiveness in reflecting public
opinion. We also recommend enlarging constituencies to
broaden the scope and perspective of DC members.”
Ansel Lam, deputy convener “The civic awareness of citizens has
increased and the ability of DC members to take part in public policy
discussions has become more important. We therefore recommend
that the government sets up a research team for each DC to
assist members in the use of evidence-based methods to tackle
community problems and improve the quality of their work in future.”

Report No. 45 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S.

Governance and Constitutional Development group

Published title Strengthening the Role and Functions of District Councils

Participants/respondents 520 18-35 year-olds and 19 scholars, experts or current DC members

More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/2019/09/05/yi045/

Enquiries Sharon Cheung 3755 7039

1. hab.gov.hk/en/policy_responsibilities/District_Community_and_Public_Relations/district.htm

44
 Youth Trends in Hong Kong 2018
T his recently published compilation represents an overall picture of Hong Kong’s younger
generation up to 2017 and serves as a useful resource for those who are concerned about
their wellbeing.
Statistics about change in youth demographics, education, employment, health, innovation and information technology,
risk behaviour and social participation are included. Taking mental health as just one example, there has been significant
change, reflected in a marked increase in outpatient attendance at psychiatric clinics, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 Young males: Hospital Authority specialist psychiatric Figure 2 Young females: Hospital Authority specialist psychiatric
clinic^ outpatient attendance clinic^ outpatient attendance
30000 10-14 10-14
Number of attendances

15-19 200000 15-19

25000 20-24 20-24
18000
25-29 25-29

Number of attendances
16000
20000
14000

15000 12000

10000
10000
8000

6000
5000
4000

0 2000
2001 2006 2011 2014 2015^ 2016 2017#
Year 0
2001 2005 2011 2014 2015^ 2016 2017#
Year

Source of data in Figures 1 & 2

The second part of the book focuses on a survey of Census and Statistics Department. Women and Men in Hong Kong. Key Statistics 2017, p305.

young people’s values in various areas of individual ^ From April 2015, attendance at nurse-led clinics in specialist outpatient settings have been
included in this figure.
and social life, including family, sex, education and # Provisional figures

individual ability, employment, politics, environmental

Figure 3 Changing family values
protection, and social responsibility and social capital.
I will have children
The survey, based on a random sample of 522 people I think the idea that children should support parents financially is outdated

aged 15-39, was conducted in November 2017. 100

90

Figure 3, for example, shows the continuous decrease from 80

2007-2015 in the number of young people who wanted to

Support rate (%)

70

have children. Since then there has been a rising trend. In 60

traditional Chinese society, “rearing sons for help in old age” 50

( 養兒防老 ) is an important family function. Furthermore, 40

the majority of young people believe that supporting 30

their parents financially is not an outdated concept, 20

the highest figure recorded since these studies began. 10

0
1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017

Hard copy available from Youth Research Centre, 4/F, HKFYG Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, HK
Price per copy HK$120
Online order form yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/en/order-form/
Enquiries Tel: 3755 7022 or email: yr@hkfyg.org.hk

45
 HKFYG’s two farms are social enterprises that
promote a healthy lifestyle while encouraging social
innovation and the habit of sustainable living in
Hong Kong youth.

Ho Pui Reservoir Visits

Freshly Picked Vegetables

Special Autumn Crops:

Hok Tau Pak Choi, Cauliflower, Kale,
Choi Sum, Salad Lettuce Mix, Beetroot,
Cabbage, Cactus (All year)

door-to-door deliveries for orders over

HK$250. Contact us for details of areas
included.
Farm address: No. 1 Family Walk, Ho Pui
Reservoir, Pat Heung, Yuen Long, NT, HK
Tours and Upcycling Craft
Hands-on Activities

Special Autumn Crops:

VISIT US SOON! Farm address: DD7 Lot1 RP1, Tai Hang Sha
Lay Yuen, Tai Po, NT, HK
AI Future Tense
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the meaning of future work so
young people need to know about developments and associated
technologies. This 3-part programme has been designed for them.

A.I. Future Tense

Regardless of subject being studied at university, undergraduates doing this 3-part
programme strengthen their skills for employability while learning about AI. They also
get opportunities to devise new applications and interact with AI professionals.

Features

● AI Skills-up Workshops and

self-directed online learning
followed by AI-related online
self-selected courses such as
blockchain, fintech and other data
science-related topics.

● InnoTech Experience
加強 involves a day or two of job
shadowing with an up-close look
at提升他們未來就業能力
startups and companies in the
innovation and technology sector
giving inspiration for future
careers.

● InnoTech Solutions Pitching

allows all students to show videos
and offer ideas before finalists
pitch innovative ideas to judges.

Sponsorship available Schedule Part-time workshops at

afternoon and evening classes
● For All full-time students at Hong Kong tertiary institutions
Locations and times
● Free of charge Artificial Intelligence Skills-up Workshops Announced monthly on website
and InnoTech Experience
Web hkfyg.org.hk/futureskills
● Reimbursement Up to HK$800 for online self-directed
Until December 2019
learning
Organizer HKFYG Creativity Education Unit
● Quota 500 First-come-first-served
Enquiries Kevin Chong
● Cash prizes HK$160,000 For InnoTech Solutions Pitching
or Sarah Huang
Tel 2561 6149
Email fs_innotech@hkfyg.org.hk
 HKFYG
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

On the road and in the hills

with HKFYG Youth Exchange
L earning about the world and other cultures on exchange trips can encourage
students to understand different perspectives. HKFYG organizes tours like those
below with this in mind. They can enhance interest in global issues and broaden
general knowledge.

One Belt One Road One Friendship:

10th Season Marital Arts Challenge in Wudong
Kazakhstan, Central Asia

Target participants 30 Target participants 40

Age 18-35 year-olds Age 15-25
Dates Christmas 2019 Dates Easter 2020
Duration 8 days Duration 10 days
Registration applications ye.hkfyg.org.hk Registration applications ye.hkfyg.org.hk
Destination Almaty, Kazakhstan Destination Wudang Mountain, China

Programme
● Visits KIMEP University
● Lectures on the Belt and Road
● Visits to financial corporations, institutes
and startup companies to learn about
trade relationships with China
● Visits to the Central State Museum and Green
Bazaar to learn more about the local lifestyle
More details ye.hkfyg.org.hk
Enquiries Joanne Lam tel 3586 8448
Programme
● Learning marital arts
● Experiencing the simple life
● Morning run around Wudangshan
● Learning Taoism and traditional
Chinese culture
Sponsor Youth Development Commission under the
Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland
More details ye.hkfyg.org.hk
Enquiries Diana Lee tel 3586 8448

48
 HKFYG
September 2019　|　Youth Hong Kong

A B

Wellness Theatre SELECT

C

CANCEL

Wellness is all about finding the right balance to cope with the challenges of life
and developing a positive attitude to forge ahead. An educational interactive
drama initiative called Wellness Theatre has been developed at HKFYG to help
young people discover wellness. For the 2019-2020 school year, it offers a new
exciting interactive drama called “Click on your Choice” for secondary schools.

The drama tells the story of a secondary student who gets a “mystery
remote.” The device allows him to fast-forward to the future or rewind
to past events in his life. He learns about the interpersonal skills he needs
and the ways in which he can control his emotional reactions in order
to get along with his family and friends. All students taking part in the
drama learn how to face challenges, cope with change and handle the stress
of daily life through self-awareness and emotion-management skills.

Director Gigi Cheng

Cast
Boat Chan
Dennis Lau
Ben Mok
Mak Pui Tung
Au Tsz Fei
Pink Yung

Goal A tour of 50 Hong Kong secondary

schools in the coming academic year

Supported by HSBC's 150th

Anniversary Charity Programme
Produced in partnership with iStage

Part of HKFYG’s Project STEP, the Wellness Theatre

uses engaging, innovative platforms to support an
intervention programme that encourages youth to
cultivate a sense of wellbeing by building self-awareness
and knowing how to manage their emotions.

For more details Call Fion Chau 2788 3433

50
 Publisher :
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups 香港青年協會 hkfyg.org.hk．m21.hk
Youth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong
Tel : 3755 7097．3755 7108．Fax : 3755 7155．Email : youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk．Website : youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk
The title of this journal in Chinese is Xiang Gang Qing Nian 香 港 青 年

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