TACKLING CYBERBULLYING THROUGH PREVENTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Responsibility for preventing cyberbullying must rest primarily with digital platforms rather than with children and young people, says the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which calls for stronger platform accountability, simple reporting procedures and meaningful youth involvement. 

Around one in six children aged between 11 and 15 in Europe report having experienced cyberbullying. In its opinion Action plan against cyberbullying, drafted by rapporteur Michael McLoughlin, the EESC welcomes the European Commission’s initiative but calls for closer alignment with EU legislation, including the Digital Services Act and AI Act.  

As the opinion points out, ‘the key responsibility for cyberbullying via online platforms should lie with those platforms. Regulatory measures and other actions should be focussed to the greatest extent possible on these companies rather than on the young people who are merely availing of a widely available product.’

The EESC warns that platform design features such as algorithmic steering, nudging and ‘doom scrolling’ can influence users’ behaviour, while generative AI creates new risks through fabricated or manipulated content, extortion, blackmail and harassment.  

The Committee stresses that prevention should begin with education and that children and young people must be meaningfully involved in developing and evaluating measures intended to protect them. Parents, teachers, carers, youth workers and civil society organisations also have an essential role.  

It calls for accessible and trusted reporting procedures, including hotlines and straightforward notification mechanisms, while insisting that platforms remain at the centre of reporting rather than shifting responsibility onto victims.  

Finally, the EESC stresses the importance of safe physical spaces such as youth and community centres and sports facilities, which can help build young people’s confidence, resilience and well-being. (lm)