From bystander to upstander: how Malta is tackling cyberbullying

As cyberbullying continues to affect children and young people across Europe, Malta is combining prevention, education, support and legislation with a focus on helping people take action when harmful behaviour occurs online.

Through the BeSmartOnline project, the Maltese Safer Internet Centre is helping children and young people recognise cyberbullying, understand the different roles people can play, and know how to respond when they encounter it.

Led by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS), BeSmartOnline works with the Office of the Commissioner for Children, the Malta Police Force Cybercrime Unit and key education-sector stakeholders under the Ministry of Education, alongside other national organisations, to support a coordinated approach to cyberbullying prevention and online safety.

Turning bystanders into upstanders

A key focus of BeSmartOnline's cyberbullying workshops is moving beyond simply explaining what cyberbullying is.

Through role-play and realistic scenarios, children and young people explore the different roles that can emerge in a cyberbullying situation: the person being targeted, the person engaging in bullying behaviour, the instigator, the bystander and the upstander.

Participants consider how different actions can either escalate or improve a situation. They explore responses such as preserving evidence, blocking and reporting harmful behaviour, seeking help from a trusted adult, and safely supporting someone who is being targeted.

The workshops also encourage young people to consider the part they play. Every share, like or comment can amplify harmful content and widen its impact; equally, a supportive message, a report or a word to a trusted adult can turn a passive bystander into an upstander. Our approach to cyberbullying therefore goes beyond awareness: we build respect and empathy, equipping young people with the skills and understanding to show that kindness wins the day.

Sessions continue to evolve alongside technology and young people's online experiences. Where relevant, this includes addressing emerging forms of technology-facilitated bullying, such as the misuse of AI-generated or manipulated images.

In order to counter cyberbullying, we also focus on building respect and empathy.

Taking prevention into schools

Schools are central to Malta's approach to preventing and responding to cyberbullying.

Alongside sessions for children and young people, BeSmartOnline provides training and awareness initiatives for educators, guidance personnel, school counsellors and other professionals. This helps equip the adults children may turn to with the knowledge to recognise cyberbullying and respond appropriately.

Cyberbullying is also addressed within Malta's education system through Personal, Social and Career Development (PSCD) learning outcomes. Malta's Anti-Bullying Service recognises cyberbullying as a form of bullying and together with the BeSmartOnline team, provides support to schools when intervention is required.

Together, these measures connect prevention and education with pathways for support when incidents occur.

Reaching parents and caregivers

Parents and caregivers are an essential part of prevention and early intervention.

BeSmartOnline provides resources and sessions to help parents recognise cyberbullying, communicate with their children and understand how to respond. Online-safety sessions are also incorporated into school information and induction events, helping to reach parents through settings where they are already engaged.

Further outreach takes place through initiatives such as Wise Use of Technology sessions delivered in workplaces in collaboration with Sedqa's S.A.F.E. Programme.

Parents are encouraged to listen without immediately blaming or judging, preserve evidence, use reporting and blocking tools, involve the school where appropriate, and seek further support when needed.

From helpline contact to tailored intervention

Supportline 179 provides a free, 24/7 point of contact for people seeking support. Cases concerning online issues are referred to the BeSmartOnline team, where the response is tailored to the circumstances and needs of each case.

Depending on the situation, this may include guidance over the phone, in person one-to-one support, working with parents or professionals, or awareness sessions in schools or other settings where cyberbullying is occurring. Where additional support is needed, the person can also be directed to the most appropriate service.

When harmful online content is involved, BeSmartOnline can provide guidance on reporting and where applicable, use its trusted flagger status to report illegal content to online platforms.

Where suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is involved, ChildWebAlert provides Malta's dedicated reporting route. Reports are assessed and, where appropriate, further action is taken in coordination with the Malta Police Force Cybercrime Unit and relevant international channels.

Strengthening the legal response

Malta strengthened its legal response to cyberbullying in 2025 through an amendment to the national Criminal Code. The provision criminalises the use of digital or communication technologies to threaten or intimidate another person, or to direct abusive or offensive words or acts towards them, with the intention of causing physical or mental harm, including self-harm, or fear for their own safety or that of another. The offence carries one to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to €30,000, or both, with heavier punishment where the victim is a child or a vulnerable person.

Criminal responsibility is graduated by age.

• Children under 14 cannot be held criminally responsible at all.
• Between 14 and 16, responsibility depends on whether the child acted with what the law calls "mischievous discretion", meaning an understanding of the wrongfulness of the act, and where this is established, the penalty is reduced.
• Young people aged 16 to 18 also benefit from a reduced penalty.

In practice, cases involving minors are handled first through school safeguarding structures, the BeSmartOnline! Helpline and support services, with the criminal route as a last resort.

BeSmartOnline! builds awareness of these legal consequences into its cyberbullying education, alongside prevention, responsible online behaviour and guidance on where to seek help. The aim is not to frighten young people with the prospect of prosecution, but to make clear that what happens online carries real-world weight, and that support is available long before anything reaches that point.

Listening to young people

Young people are not only recipients of online-safety education; their experiences also help inform it.

Through BeSmartOnline's Youth Panel, coordinated with the Office of the Commissioner for Children, young people share their perspectives on online issues affecting them. School workshops and initiatives such as the Rights4U Live-in, organised by the Office of the Commissioner for Children, provide further opportunities for direct engagement.

Listening to young people helps ensure that cyberbullying education remains connected to the situations, behaviours and pressures they encounter online.

Extending the message beyond schools

Cyberbullying prevention also needs to reach people beyond formal education settings.

BeSmartOnline reinforces its educational work through television and radio appearances, social media campaigns and other public-awareness activities. These channels help amplify cyberbullying prevention messages, share guidance and make available support more visible to children, young people, parents and the wider community.

Combining face-to-face education with media and digital outreach helps key messages reach audiences beyond individual workshops and school activities.

From awareness to action

Malta's approach illustrates how cyberbullying prevention and response can work across different levels: from children and families to schools, support services, law enforcement and the wider legal framework.

At the heart of BeSmartOnline's educational approach is a simple message: everyone involved in an online interaction can influence what happens next.

Someone witnessing cyberbullying can ignore it, contribute to it or choose to act positively. Helping children and young people recognise those choices and giving them the tools to respond safely can help turn bystanders into upstanders.

The same principle extends to the wider response. Awareness is connected to accessible support, while individual cases can lead to guidance, intervention, referral or further awareness work according to what is needed.

Find more information about the work of the Maltese Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness-raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.

#NotOnOurFeed: together against cyberbullying!

As the Better Internet for Kids #NotOnOurFeed campaign brings renewed European attention to cyberbullying, Malta's experience highlights a broader lesson: awareness is most effective when people also know where to turn and what can happen next. Combining education, accessible support, tailored intervention, youth participation, public outreach and an appropriate legal framework can help turn cyberbullying awareness into action.