The European Commission presented a plan to combat cyberbullying, which includes the launch of a European application for confidential messages. The plan also provides for strengthening the protection of children online and targeted application of existing EU legislation.
The European Commission has presented a plan to combat cyberbullying, which includes launching a European application for confidential reporting of harassment and strengthening the protection of children online. This was reported by Euronews, writes UNN.
Details
The plan envisages the launch of a pan-European application that will allow children to confidentially report such cases to national helplines, as well as securely store and send evidence. The application is still in the early stages of development.
According to the European Commission, one in six children aged 11 to 15 report being victims of cyberbullying, and one in eight admit to participating in harassment.
Children and adolescents have the right to be safe when they are online. Cyberbullying undermines this right, making them feel hurt, lonely, and humiliated. No child should feel this way.
– said European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen.
"Building on a common understanding of what cyberbullying is, we call on all Member States to develop consistent national policies on this issue," she added.
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The European Commission's action plan also includes the targeted application of existing EU legislation to reduce the scale of cyberbullying, including strengthening the rules under the Digital Services Act.
The European Commission also proposes developing preventive measures, including special programs for teachers.
The EU is trying to protect children from the harmful effects of social media in many ways: from exploring the possibility of introducing a block-wide ban for teenagers, working on a new age verification tool, to combating "addictive" features in applications.
Last week, the European Commission concluded that TikTok's addictive design violates the European Digital Services Act (DSA) and does not provide adequate user protection.
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