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The unstoppable arrival of a new global digital era has changed the course of history, even the way we live our lives. The digitalization of industry, its infinite applications in modern technologies, science and medicine, the generation of thousands of new jobs in the labour market or the reinvention of communication means regarding the exchanging of information, opinions and ideas… Everything has gone a step forward without possibility to go back, giving birth to the revolution of our century; the digital one. Nevertheless, it is remarkable to remind that along with new opportunities, new risks have come out as well.
In May 2023, Didier Reynders, ex European Commissioner for Justice, introduced a new discussion in the European Parliament in order to debate the possibility of implementing a common legislation all over Europe considering the warning increase of cyberbullying rates. Paying particular attention to its evolution since the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, the EU Commission member highlighted some devastating facts according to which, in global terms 1 out of 3 children reported to have experienced online bullying, while only in 2020 33% of girls and 20% of boys in Europe admitted to have faced disturbing online content at least once a month. Statistics that have been corroborated according to EU-funded safer internet centres, which point out cyberbullying as the main reason for young people to contact them seeking support[1].
But why is so important to focus on cyberbullying? Following the intervention of Mr. Reynders in the EU Parliament, the European Union is firmly committed to eradicate violence against women and domestic violence, as cyberbullying usually takes a gender angle where women or men are harassed online for linked to their gender, often worsened by racist, xenophobic and discriminatory connotations. A combination of factors, in short, that finally drives its victims to a last terrible scenario; the suicide.
The death of “Coco”, a 21 years old girl in Ireland after being physically and online abused for three years (2018), of Dulic, a 22 years old boy from Bosnia Herzegovina who suffered from online bullying through a very popular social network (2022), of Lucas, a 13 years old French boy who had denounced constant harassment at school because of his homosexual orientation (2023), or the decision made by Leila and Alana, 12 years old Argentinian twins living in Spain, which one of them passed away, who decided to take their own lives after being discriminated by physical and xenophobic reasons (2023), are just few recent media examples of the devastating impact that cyberbullying is causing on our society nowadays.
“Online abuse is much worse than the physical abuse, because once it gets inside your head your mental health is all messed up, you cannot get it out of there” declared Coco’s mother to EuroNews during the campaign she launched to promote a common EU legal framework that punishes bullying and consequently, avoids the loss of more human lives[2]. And that is, observing the studies developed by The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (JAAPL), a crucial factor indeed, since in contrast with traditional schoolyard bullying cyber discrimination goes further by granting potential anonymity to the aggressor, leading to a diminished sense of prosocial remorse and making the victim unable to avoid attacks without fully detaching from online media[3]. The result, anyway, is not but the increasing level of danger to victims from the moment they start to believe that they cannot bear such social hounding, that there is no way out.
Thus, and taking into account that suicide has become the second leading cause of death among young people (between 14 and 30) just after road accidents, it is clear that much more investment in mental health support and social services designed for potential victims of bullying is required[4]. Nevertheless, this economic, administrative and human effort shall be condemned to be useless as long as there is not a formal legislation against cyber discrimination integrated all over the EU countries; common rules that indeed classifies and punishes the cyberbullying phenomenon as a criminal action, pursuing aggressors and judging them on the Courts as criminals, besides integrating an effective protocol of cyberbullying prevention at schools and universities.
The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles signed in 2022, officially establishes the urgent need “to ensure that young people are protected, empowered and respected in the online environment in the same way as offline”, but it is obvious that something has failed[5]. Unfortunately, there is no way to bring Coco, Dulic, Luca or Alana back, but it is not too late for other young people. So let’s make it work having in mind that three points that sometimes, and because of the features of its online dimension, society tends to forget; that cyberbullying is a silent pandemic firmly installed in our new modern digital age, that taking no action against it kills and above all, that victims never try to escape from living, but from the suffering provoked by the aggressor.
There is a long way to go, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Will the European Union be able to take the next one and become a pioneer in this fight? The life of many young people is at stake.
[1] Sitting of 10-05-2023 | Plenary | European Parliament (europa.eu)
[2] https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/02/irish-mep-calls-for-eu-wide-law-on-cyberbullying-as-mother-of-victim-raises-awareness-in-b
[3] Cyberbullying and Adolescent Suicide | Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (jaapl.org)
[4] https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-06/com_2023_298_1_act_en.pdf , p. 1-2.
[5] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-declaration-digital-rights-and-principles#:~:text=The%20Declaration%20on%20Digital%20Rights%20and%20Principles%20presents%20the%20EU’s,version%20of%20the%20Declaration%20available.