The Action Plan against cyberbullying aims to protect young people online, addresses issues embedded in society and focuses on solutions like digital literacy.
Through the digital transformation, society faces new possibilities but also new challenges. Not only are digital skills across all age groups becoming increasingly essential, but also the well-being of people using digital media and the internet – especially children, teens, and young adults. Digital education and skills play a key role here, as reflected in the European Commission’s ongoing work on a Roadmap on the future of digital education and skills which will be promoted in the third quarter of 2026.
Every February, stakeholders across the globe come together for safer internet day. The linked platform includes international stakeholders working on this topic, such as the Swiss national platform on youth and media. This year, the global campaign, developed by the EU to advocate for a safer and better online world, coincided with the launch of the European Commission’s (EC) Action Plan on Cyberbullying.
Because there is no single common definition of cyberbullying, the Action Plan introduces a shared understanding: “Cyberbullying refers to behaviour carried out through digital technologies, with the intention of the effect of recurrently or continuously humiliating, excluding, abusing, harassing, harming or hurting a person or a group of people”.
Cyberbullying represents a major issue in many countries, including Switzerland, as reported in the JAMES Study conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Science. The EC’s Action Plan therefore addresses an urgent issue affecting the well-being of young people. It builds on existing initiatives in the field, such as the eTwinning Book of Building wellbeing at school, which focuses on student well-being both online and offline. The Action Plan responds to the fragmented nature of existing initiatives, national approaches and legal and policy frameworks at EU level and introduces, as noted above, a shared definition of the phenomenon across EU countries.
The plan consists of three pillars: 1) A coordinated EU approach to protection: In this first pillar, Member States should translate common objectives into effective national measures. Ongoing EU initiatives will be reviewed and adjusted to strengthen their effectiveness in tackling cyberbullying; 2) Prevention and awareness: This pillar focuses on equipping young people and adults with digital skills and the confidence to react to online risks. It addresses victims, bystanders, peers, perpetrators, parents, carers, educators, and the wider school community. Cyberbullying can affect anyone, and it also appears in forms linked to discrimination online. This underlines the importance of this second pillar and highlights the role of digital education and digital literacy in educational practice; 3) Reporting and comprehensive support: The Commission plans to roll out an online safety app across all Member States. The app will offer an accessible channel to report abuse and receive help. It will be adaptable to national contexts to ensure it connects correctly to relevant national support services.
With this Action Plan, the Commission highlights the strong connection between digital well-being and education. As outlined in the Digital Education Action Plan, cyberbullying reflects societal attitudes and values and is closely connected to wider challenges such as hate speech, discrimination and social exclusion. Strengthening digital literacy to promote responsible online behaviour is strongly linked to strengthen citizen education. Citizenship skills help young people not only to protect themselves online but also to actively contribute to a respectful digital environment. Both digital and citizenship skills are part of the Union of Skills’ proposed basic skills set (see also SwissCore article).
In conclusion, the Action Plan on Cyberbullying is being launched at a time where awareness of the risks associated with digital spaces for children, young people, as well as the society as a whole is omnipresent. The EU has developed numerous initiatives and recommendations addressing specific challenges within this broader topic (such as the report on cyber violence against women, as girls and women are disproportionally affected by sexually explicit deepfakes, according to the Action Plan). As digital environments continue to evolve rapidly, coordinated European efforts such as this Action Plan and promoting digital skills will play a crucial role in ensuring that (young) people can participate safely, confidently and responsibly.