As Social Media Users, We All Have a Responsibility to Stop Cyberbullying
As a regular social media user, I am increasingly alarmed by the rise in cyberbullying that destroys lives and devastates families. The most recent, tragic case demonstrates just how harmful cyberbullying can be, especially for young people. Last May, 13-year-old French girl Lindsay took her own life after months of online and in-person bullying. These unthinkable outcomes underscore how the 24/7 nature of online harassment can overwhelm youth who feel isolated and powerless to stop the abuse. Stories like these should serve as a wake-up call to us all about the life-threatening damage cyberbullying can inflict on vulnerable young people.
Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, & Reddit (and I’ve witnessed some instances on LinkedIn, too) are clearly ground zero for much of this bullying. The number of requests regulators have made to these platforms to remove bullying content keeps on growing.
Social media companies are still scratching the surface when it comes to monitoring for bullying and preventing the re-sharing of harmful posts. But we can't place all the responsibility on the platforms alone. As users, we need to step up and report bullying when we encounter it online. I now make it a point to report any harassing or threatening posts I come across. If we want platforms to take action, we need to notify them of issues instead of being bystanders.
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Parents and schools also play a critical role in educating young people to use social media responsibly and identify signs of cyberbullying. We need to empower kids to speak out when they are targeted.
Then, stronger laws are needed to enable the prosecution of cyberbullies, especially repeat offenders. Coco's Law is a great start: this is legislation that was passed in Ireland in 2021 to make cyberbullying a criminal offense. It is named after Nicole "Coco" Fox, a 21-year-old woman who died by suicide in 2018 after experiencing severe online bullying. This law was championed by Nicole's mother, Jackie Fox, who campaigned tirelessly to honor her daughter's memory and help protect others from cyberbullying.
Each of us can do our part to cultivate anti-bullying values across our social networks. If we want social media to be a secure environment, we must consistently speak out against cyberbullying when encountered. Rather than remain silent, we can help shift online interactions toward greater empathy, respect, and understanding by actively addressing unkind behaviors. Small, daily actions to spread compassion - not complicity - in the face of bullying can gradually nurture social media into a more caring space.
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