The Romanian Safer Internet Centre launched a campaign - as part of the Safer Internet Day 2023 activities – targeting the main cyberbullying victims, children and teenagers, and starting from the worrying data closely related to the incidence of this phenomenon which can have a strong emotional impact. 

According to the online survey conducted by Save the Children Romania among minors who have access to the internet, 40 per cent of them say that they have been offended or harassed on the internet, which constitutes an increase of about three percentage points compared to the previous year. 20 per cent of them state this happens at least once a week. Constantly encountering such behaviour can lead to depression and anxiety. But there is also hope: the first way you can fight against cyberbullying is by talking about it. 

The objective of the approach is to normalise discussions on this topic, both for young people and for teachers and parents. 

Normalising and encouraging conversations about cyberbullying 

The first step within the initiative consisted of an event organised by Save the Children Romania, a panel dedicated to parents, authorities, teachers and the media to raise awareness about this problem. The chances of young people being affected by this phenomenon decreases if those around them have the necessary information to help them overcome it.  

During this event, representatives of the authorities had interventions providing statistics and future plans to contribute to a safer online environment. The event, which benefited from the presence of the Ministry of Family and Secretary of State from the Ministry of Education showing their support for the program, gathered a lot of media attention with more than 120 mentions on TV, radio, print and online outlets. A videoclip depicting cyberbullying was launched on the occasion.  

The second step was entirely dedicated to young people, and for this approach a more authentic perspective was needed, so that they would be open to the subject and to talk about it. This is how the campaign “Open your DM” was born. Together with Bianca Adam and Edi Brandabura, two very well-known influencers in Romania, the children and teenagers realised that this phenomenon does not only happen to them, but also to those they admire. The campaign was centred around a live stream on social media where the two spoke together for the first time about examples of negative messages, the effects on their mental health when they receive such comments, the anxiety they feel and the positive ways you can feel better and get back to who you really are. A psychologist took part in their discussion, offering advice for those at home. The power of bringing concrete examples really worked, because during the broadcast more than 1,000 comments were collected from children and teenagers, who expressed their questions and concerns about the subject of cyberbullying. 

Finally, a resource package on cyberbullying was also launched on the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2023. The package is aimed at teachers and children of all school levels throughout the country. Teachers were invited to conduct activities in their classes for an entire month to raise awareness about internet safety, while preventing and combatting cyberbullying. Up until now, more than 5,000 children were involved directly in activities conducted in schools. 

Find out more about Safer Internet Day in Romania. Alternatively, find more information about the work of the Romanian Safer Internet Centre, including their awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.