Action day against cyberbullying

Six media literacy projects launch joint online campaign #AgainstCyberbullying

Ludwigshafen, November 18, 2021 Together against cyberbullying! This is the motto under which six partner projects have joined forces to set an example against cyberbullying on November 19. The occasion is the international "Stand up to Bullying!" day, which is celebrated annually. An online campaign aims to inform young people, parents and educators about cyberbullying and possible sources of help, and to raise awareness of the issue.

Cyberbullying continues to rise

Even before the Corona pandemic, cyberbullying was a growing problem. Various recent studies show: The pandemic has further exacerbated the situation, as many activities such as meeting friends and school activities have shifted to the Internet. For children and young people, this often means a heavy psychological burden. Many parents and teachers feel helpless and do not know how to support their children. This is where the combined projects come in, each with a different focus, to help those directly and indirectly affected with their questions and concerns about cyberbullying.

Education and prevention

klicksafehandysektorInternet ABCZEBRA and JUUUPORT, nationwide projects of the state media authorities, and youth.support, a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, have joined forces for an online campaign against cyberbullying . They each focus on different target groups: Children, teenagers, young adults, parents, teachers and educators. In their alliance, they offer a comprehensive anti-cyberbullying package , which bundles information, materials and hands-on activities around the topic on a campaign page. The content will also be distributed on November 19 via the social networks of the participating projects under the hashtag #AgainstCyberbullying .

On the Action page website you will find information about the day of action and the participating projects, links to helpful materials such as information videos, brochures, flyers, posters and online guides, text modules against cyberbullying and a rap song. "With this versatile offer, we don't want to leave any questions about cyberbullying unanswered," says Lea Römer from JUUUPORT. "We make it clear: There are many ways to counter cyberbullying. And there is advice and help for those affected and their relatives."

Demand for active youth media protection

The united projects have long been committed to more respect on the net. Cyberbullying can be prevented through preventive measures in media education. Schools, in particular, can do active educational work in the immediate living environment of children and young people. "We know from research that bullying is noticed very late by teachers. Corona has reinforced this fact, especially in the period of distance teaching. Teachers in particular are important actors in protecting children and young people from cyberbullying," said Birgit Kimmelhead of the EU initiative klicksafe. "Teachers need to know the dynamics of a bullying process in order to recognize it early and be able to act."

The day of action is to be celebrated every year in November from now on to make young people in particular strong against cyberbullying.