Action plan against cyberbullying "Safer online, stronger together"

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the EU Action Plan against cyberbullying and calls for its implementation to be closely aligned with existing and upcoming EU legislation. The EESC recommends greater consistency between the Action Plan and key EU digital legislation, including the Digital Services Act, the AI Act and the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act;
• highlights the need to address the growing role of generative AI in cyberbullying, including the creation of harmful content and the use of AI chatbots to perpetrate cyberbullying;
• calls for greater use of existing EU and national legislation on data protection, harassment and defamation to support efforts against cyberbullying;
• stresses the importance of strong political leadership at both EU and national levels, supported by national action plans based on best practices;
• supports the recommendations of civil society organisations working with children and young people and emphasises that responsibility should lie with digital platforms rather than victims;
• emphasises the crucial role of education and meaningful participation of children and young people in developing effective solutions;
• advocates stronger prevention measures, including accessible reporting mechanisms, hotlines and simple notification procedures;
• calls for a coordinated approach to tackle harmful online design practices, such as nudging and doom scrolling, while avoiding regulatory duplication across current and forthcoming legislation;
• welcomes the gender dimension of the Action Plan and encourages stronger cooperation with specialised civil society organisations and the European Institute for Gender Equality;
• highlights the impact of cyberbullying in the workplace on vulnerable groups, and it calls for this dimension to be integrated into the implementation of the Action Plan, including through the ratification of ILO Convention No. 190;
• draws attention to the specific vulnerabilities of LGBTQI+ persons, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups, and calls for stronger implementation of measures against hate speech, hate crime and discrimination;
• encourages complementing online safety measures with the creation of safe offline spaces for children and young people, including youth centres, community centres and sports facilities.