Original title: Nettikiusaamisen haitat ja ehkäisy

Student-written article published on Nuortennetti, a youth-focused platform by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL), part of the Finnish Safer Internet Centre.

• Author and context: written by a upper secondary school student as part of an educational collaboration in 2026.
• Target audience: teenagers and young adults seeking peer perspective on digital well-being.
• Core focus:
  • Examines how online harassment severely affects youth mental health, causing depression, anxiety, loss of motivation, sleep disruption, and appetite changes.
  • Notes the immediate emotional tolls, such as intense sadness and anger, while encouraging victims to stay strong and seek support.
• Prevention and support: emphasises peer solidarity, community support, and active intervention to lessen the impact on targets.
• Advocates for respectful digital communication, open dialogue about app/game safety, reporting bad behaviour, and filing police reports for illegal acts (e.g., threats, defamation).