COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action plan against cyberbullying "Safer online, stronger together"
Date: 2026-02-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: anti-discriminatory measure, child protection, computer crime, cyber-bullying, data protection, digital literacy, digital technology, information security, mental health, social media

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 10.2.2026  COM(2026) 71 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action plan against cyberbullying             "Safer online, stronger together"  
 
 
1. Introduction 

“This business is not for charity. But parents live with the risks and harms of this every day: 
cyberbullying. Encouragement of self-harm. Online predators. Addictive algorithms. It is up 
to us to protect our next generation.” 

President von der Leyen, speech at the high-profile event 'Protecting Children in the Digital Age' 2025 

The  digital  transformation  has  radically  changed  society.  It  offers  vast  opportunities  for 
children  and  young  people  to  develop  their  skills  and  creativity.  Nowadays,  97%  of  young 
people in the EU use the internet daily, and for youth aged between 15 and 24, the top source 
of information is social media platforms (65%). Together with AI tools, videogames, messaging 
apps and online communities, they connect and engage.  

But these platforms also come with risks: exposure to online predators, encouragement of self-
harm, addictive algorithms, dangerous online challenges, and cyberbullying. 

Fundamental rights, including children’s rights, are essential to the EU's values and must be 
upheld  both  online  and  offline.  Children  and  young  people  have  the  right  to  safely  seek 
information, learn, be connected, and become engaged members of society. The freedoms and 
possibilities  of  the  digital  world  must  therefore  be  matched  by  our  resolve  to  protect  and 
empower children and young people. The promise of the digital era must not be undermined 
by behaviour that humiliates, excludes or harms.  

Cyberbullying  erodes  trust  and  damages  self‐esteem.  It  excludes  people  and  limits  their 
potential.  It  undermines  our  shared  ambition  of  a  vibrant,  inclusive,  digital  Europe  for  our 
children and youth. 

Social  media  is  a  primary  channel  through  which  children  and  adolescents  are  exposed  to 
cyberbullying,  and  there  is  mounting  evidence  that  their  exposure  to  inappropriate  online 
content is  having  lasting, damaging effects. The EU already has  a comprehensive  legal  and 
policy  framework  to  protect  and  empower  children  online,  the  Digital  Services Act  (DSA) 
being the main existing tool in this regard.  

As announced in the 2025 State of the Union, President von der Leyen is seeking expert advice 
on  social  media  age  restrictions  in  Europe  in  light  of  online  risks,  with  recommendations 
expected by the summer 2026. A number of Member States  are considering  taking steps to 
introduce enforceable minimum ages for access to social media and requirements for parental 
consent and control.  This includes aligning age thresholds for social media access to the digital 
consent age, mandating privacy-by-default for minors and setting up solutions for anonymous 
age verification. 

A coordinated European approach to age thresholds would ensure all European children receive 
equal protection and would prevent legal fragmentation in the single digital market. The expert 
panel  will  pave  the  way  to  a  coordinated,  potentially  legislative  European  approach  to  age 
thresholds  and  an  evidence-based  awareness-raising  campaign,  empowering  parents  to  take 
effective control of their chidren’s access to online content.  

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The Youth Advisory Board has also shared with the Commission President the perspectives of 
young people on this issue. The Commission is piloting with Member States an age-verification 
solution  that  is  user-friendly,  protects  privacy,  and  is  setting  a  ‘reference  standard'  in  age-
verification online. The European Parliament has called for a harmonised EU digital minimum 
age  of  16  for  access  to  social  media,  video-sharing  platforms  and  AI  companions,  while 
allowing 13- to 16-year-olds access with parental consent. 

The Commission will also launch an EU-wide inquiry to start an evidence-based debate on the 
impact  of  social  media  and  excessive  screentime  on  wellbeing  and  mental  health  of  young 
people. 

When children are online, cyberbullying remains a significant threat that requires a coordinated 
response at EU and national levels. The responsibility of online platforms to ensure safety by 
design comes first. Tackling cyberbullying requires collaboration at all levels of governance, 
including regulatory and law enforcement authorities, as well as a whole-of-society approach, 
involving parents, professionals, educators, civil society and young people themselves.  

As announced in the Commission’s Political Guidelines 2024-2029, this Communication sets 
out a targeted action plan to firmly combat the growing trend of abusive behaviour online. It 
focuses primarily on children and young people, considering also the increased vulnerability 
of  certain  groups.  However,  many  of  the  actions  proposed  will  help  address  cyberbullying 
across the wider population. 

The Commission will use all tools at its disposal to complement the DSA, ensuring that digital 
platforms take their full responsibility for detecting and fighting cyberbullying. It will support 
all  Member  States  in  adopting  the  best  practices  available  in  the  EU,  to  maximise  the 
effectiveness of their combat against cyberbullying. And it will step up the efforts to reach out 
to all parts of society with information and raise awareness of what cyberbullying looks like, 
how it can be prevented, and how victims can be supported. 

With this action plan, the Commission invites Member States, regional and local authorities, 
online  platforms,  civil  society,  educational  institutions,  families,  children  and  young  people 
themselves to commit to a shared endeavour: to ensure that the digital space is safe, respectful, 
inclusive  and  supportive. The  Commission  proposes  that  our  Union  stands  together  for  the 
mental well-being and dignity of all children and young people. 

2. Cyberbullying: the issue 

Cyberbullying affects children everywhere: 18.3% of children in the world have experienced 
cyberbullying  through  instant  messaging,  social  media  posts,  emails,  or  text  messages. 
Cyberbullying does not just occur via text but also through audiovisual content such as pictures 
or videos shared online. 

In  Europe,  around  1  in  6  children  aged  11  to  15  report  that  they  have  been  victims  of 
cyberbullying and  about 1 in  8 admit  to  cyberbullying others. Between 2018 and 2022, the 
number of adolescents being cyberbullied rose by a quarter for boys and almost a quarter for 

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girls.  Over  the  past  five  years,  cyberbullying  has  consistently  been  the  main  reason  for 
contacting the Safer Internet Centres (SICs) helplines. 

The 6,343 respondents aged 12-17 consulted for this action plan reported widespread exposure 
to  cyberbullying:  1 in  4  children and teenagers  aged 12-17 have  experienced cyberbullying 
personally, and more than 1 in 3 have witnessed it. 

2.1 What is cyberbullying? 

Digital  technologies  have  expanded  opportunities  for  connection  but  also  intensified  online 
risks,  such  as  social  exclusion,  hate  offences,  harassment,  humiliation  and  abuse  that  can 
transcend physical boundaries and persist around the clock. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  action  plan,  the  Commission  intends  to  promote  a  common 
understanding of cyberbullying: 

Cyberbullying  refers  to  behaviour  carried  out  through  digital  technologies,  with  the 
primary intention or effect of repeatedly or continuously humiliating, socially excluding, 
abusing, harassing or harming in particular children or young people.  

Repetition is seen as a key feature of bullying and cyberbullying. It relates to the continuing 
effects  on  the  victim,  who  may  also  fear  that  a  one-time  event  could  be  repeatedly  shared 
online, extending the trauma and leading to re-victimisation without further direct involvement 
from the perpetrator. 

Power imbalance is central to bullying, but it may manifest differently online. In traditional 
bullying, power imbalance often derives from physical strength, social status or group norms. 
In cyberbullying, it also stems from unequal levels of digital influence, digital skills, access to 
technology, or control over content.  

Cyberbullying  is  increasingly  harder  to  address  as  it  can  occur  on  private  devices  anytime, 
anywhere,  without  the  perpetrator’s  physical  presence.  Furthermore,  it  also  occurs  on  non-
publicly available channels. 

The  most  common  forms  of  cyberbullying  include  mean  or  hurtful  comments,  spreading 
rumours online, or sharing embarrassing or humiliating posts.  

The  anonymity,  the  wide  reach  in  audience,  and  the  ability  to  send  private  messages  to 
individuals  at  any  time,  amplify  the  damage  of  traditional  bullying.  Moreover,  digital 
environments foster moral disengagement, reduced empathy, and online disinhibition, lowering 
the barriers for online aggression.  

Harmful content can remain online indefinitely. It can be continuously accessed and reshared, 
or  made  viral,  which  amplifies  harm,  causes  re-victimisation,  and  hinders  recovery.  These 
factors must be considered in providing effective support. This expands the potential audience, 
enabling a continuum of aggression between physical and online spaces or vice-versa. 

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The ongoing rapid digital development means that the environments and tools used to inflict 
harm are continuously changing. To ensure flexibility, the latest technologies should be used 
to detect and address it. 

In particular, whilst artificial intelligence (AI) may help in detecting cyberbullying, the growing 
adoption of AI,  specifically generative AI (GenAI), and its integration into online apps and 
services,  increases  cyberbullying  risks  and  tools  or  even  creates  new  ones.  For  example, 
deepfakes  have  been  on  the  rise  and  increasingly  lead  to  sexually  explicit  deepfake  abuse 
overwhelmingly targeting women and girls, including in cases of cyberbullying, and venturing 
from harmful behaviour into criminal offences when it comes to the creation of images that 
constitute  child  sexual  abuse  or  gender-based  cyber  violence. This  introduces  an  additional 
dimension of harm that not only damages reputation but, like other cyberbullying behaviours, 
could also lead to psychological trauma, underlining the urgency of monitoring and addressing 
these emerging risks at EU-level. 

Cyberbullying and hate offences may overlap when cyberbullying is motivated by hatred or 
incites  to  violence  and  hatred  and  targets  individuals  by  reference  to  certain  protected 
characteristics.  Council  Framework  Decision  2008/913/JHA  requires  Member  States  to 
criminalise the public incitement to violence or hatred directed against a group of persons or a 
member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or ethnic origin. 
It  also  requires  Member  States  to  ensure  that  additional  penalties  are  provided  for  criminal 
offences committed with racist or xenophobic motivation.  

Cyberbullying may overlap with child sexual abuse within the meaning of Directive 93/2011 
on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.  

The  Directive  2024/1385  on  combating  violence  against  women  and  domestic  violence 
requires the Member States to ensure that gender based cyber incitement to violence or hatred 
is punishable as a criminal offence. It also criminalises other cyber violence offences that often 
occur in the context of cyberbullying: the non-consensual sharing of intimate or manipulated 
material, cyber stalking and cyber harassment. The Directive also includes provisions to enable 
the prompt removal of illegal cyber violence material. 

2.2 Groups at risk of cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying  is  particularly  prevalent  among  school-aged  children  and  adolescents, 
especially as their online activity increases. 

Girls and young women are exposed to bullying of a sexist and misogynistic nature and are 
disproportionately affected, for example, by the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and 
sexually explicit deepfakes. 

Vulnerable groups are disproportionately exposed to cyberbullying, as cyberbullying may be 
directed at an individual for their perceived belonging to such groups.  

Children from low-income households are more  exposed to cyberbullying than their peers. 

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Children and young people with disabilities experience higher levels of online victimisation, 
including sexual and gender-based violence. Some even withdraw from digital spaces due to 
constant abuse. 

Ethnic  and  religious  minorities,  migrants  and  refugees  face  elevated  risks  of  racist  or 
discriminatory bullying. For example, Roma people and other racial or ethnic minorities are 
particularly exposed to online harassment and illegal hate speech linked to systemic exclusion, 
and 90% of Jewish Europeans reported experiencing antisemitism online in the past year. 

Among  LGBTIQ+  people,  63%  have  often  encountered  violent  online  content  against  the 
LGBTIQ+  community.  Furthermore,  11%  reported  that  someone  posted  offensive  or 
threatening  comments  about  them  on  the  internet  in  the  past  year,  and  two-thirds  have 
experienced ridicule or harassment during their time at school. 

The actions put forward in this action plan will contribute to addressing cyberbullying for any 
victim.  The  equality  considerations  outlined  above  will  be  taken  into  account  in  the 
implementation to enhance the impact of the actions. 

2.3 The impact of cyberbullying 

The consequences of cyberbullying can be severe and long lasting, both for individuals and for 
society at large. In the short run, cyberbullying can be a first step towards more serious crime 
or abuse, including sexual abuse.  

Victims of cyberbullying face an increased risk of anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-harm, 
and suicidal behaviour, and are more prone to behavioural problems, including harmful coping 
behaviours.  Moreover,  those  who  experience  cyberbullying  may  engage  in  cyberbullying 
themselves, if only in an attempt to escape their role as a victim. This requires a careful and 
child-friendly response. 

Cyberbullying  can  also  harm  academic  performance,  student  well-being  and  the  school 
environment. This can have long-term consequences for educational and career trajectories, as 
well as students’ overall well-being and satisfaction with life. 

Impact  on  children  and  young  people  can  thus  have  far-reaching  consequences  for  society, 
exacerbating existing inequalities. 

3. The way forward 

There is a need for a more robust, consistent and coordinated EU response to cyberbullying 
that  strengthens  prevention  and  digital  literacy  efforts,  as  well  as  improves  and  simplifies 
reporting and victim support across the Union. Our vision is of a Europe where every child and 
young person can grow up free from cyberbullying, protected in their dignity, and empowered 
to  thrive  in  a  digital  world  that  respects  European  values. To  that  effect,  this  action  plan  is 
grounded on three inter-linked pillars: A coordinated EU approach, prevention and awareness, 
and reporting and support. 

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This call for action is supported by public opinion: more than 9 in 10 Europeans state that it is 
urgent for public authorities to take action to protect children from cyberbullying. The public 
consultation  supporting  this  plan  showed  strong  support  for  digital  literacy  and  empathy-
building  programmes  in  schools  and  teacher  training,  and  for  improved  reporting  tools  and 
support services for victims. 

3.1 Pillar I: A coordinated EU approach to protection 

The Commission will make full use of the existing policy and legal instruments, and identify 
opportunities to combat cyberbullying as part of future initiatives. Moreover, Member States 
are invited to translate common objectives into effective national measures and build an 
integrated and well-functioning ecosystem to tackle cyberbullying. 

The  DSA  remains  central  to  enforcement  efforts,  requiring  providers  of  online  platforms 
accessible to minors to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security of minors on their 
service.   

Furthermore, the DSA guidelines on online protection of minors set out  measures that online 
platform providers should put in place to comply with that obligation, including appropriate 
measures to  reduce the  risk  of minors being  exposed to  harmful  content, such as designing 
recommender systems in the best interests of the minors, or to harmful behaviour, including 
contact-related  risks  from  interactions  with  peers.  To  protect  cyberbullying  victims,  they 
further include user control and empowerment measures, child-friendly reporting mechanisms 
and complaint tools as well as content moderation in the official languages of the Member State 
where the service is provided. The DSA also requires providers of online platforms to put in 
place  easy-to-access  and  user-friendly  mechanisms  allowing  all  users,  including  minors,  to 
report illegal content, e.g. certain forms of illegal hate speech; or child sexual abuse material. 
Depending on national legislation, forms of cyberbullying may also be illegal. Providers must 
take prompt decisions upon the receipt of such notices. 

This action plan will inform the upcoming review and update of the DSA guidelines on online 
protection  of  minors.  In  particular,  the  guidelines  could  help  providers  of  online  platforms 
design more efficient reporting tools, e.g. with regard to their visibility, technical accessibility, 
and linguistic regime, and use effective technologies for preventing exposure to cyberbullying. 
The  guidelines  could  also  help  providers  in  designing  appropriate  measures  to  react  to 
notifications  by  minors,  e.g.  by  supporting  users  in  storing  information  that  can  serve  as 
evidence. 

The  DSA  also  provides  for  the  possibility  to  have  “trusted  flaggers”,  expert  entities  whose 
notices  must  be  prioritised.  These  provisions  may  be  used  to  address  cyberbullying,  with 
trusted flaggers contributing to tackling the dissemination of illegal cyberbullying content. The 
Commission  will  issue  guidelines  on  trusted  flaggers  that  will  help  to  clarify  their  role  in 
tackling illegal content, including illegal cyberbullying. Those guidelines will also help clarify 
providers of online platforms’ obligations as regards notices submitted by trusted flaggers. 

Cyberbullying  can  also  take  place  via  audiovisual  content  online.  The  Audiovisual  Media 
Services  Directive  (AVMSD)  sets  out  general  requirements  to  protect  minors,  in  particular 

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online, from harmful content that could impair their physical, mental or moral development. 
This  includes  content  constituting  cyberbullying.  The  AVMSD  requires  video-sharing 
platforms to take appropriate measures to avoid that minors access harmful content through the 
inclusion of media content standards in terms and conditions or parental control and content 
rating systems. Furthermore, the Member States have an obligation to protect human dignity 
when  implementing  the AVMSD. The  ongoing  evaluation  and  review  of  the  Directive  will 
assess  how  effectively  video-sharing  platforms  have  applied  these  rules,  and  whether  more 
needs  to  be  done  to  protect  minors  from  harmful  content  online,  including  in  relation  to 
cyberbullying, and in alignment with the DSA.  

The Artificial  Intelligence Act  prohibits AI  systems  that  manipulate  or  deceive  persons    by 
exploiting  vulnerabilities  linked  to  their  age,  in  order  to  distort  their  behaviour    causing 
significant  harm.  These  prohibitions  can  prevent  cyberbullying.  The  Commission  adopted 
guidelines on the prohibited AI practices to facilitate consistent and effective implementation 
across  the  Union.  The  AI  Act  also  establishes  transparency  requirements,  including  the 
obligation to inform users when they are interacting with AI and to clearly label AI-generated 
or manipulated content, such as deepfakes, to prevent deception. 

Furthermore, these policies must be complemented by data collection on cyberbullying, which 
is currently inconsistent, hindering a comprehensive understanding of trends across Member 
States.  In  response  to  the  call  emerging  from  the  public  consultation,  the  Commission  will 
facilitate  consistent  and  comparable  data  collection  on  cyberbullying  across  the  EU,  for 
instance providing guidance such as a common data collection framework and indicators, and 
the  launching  of  EU-wide  surveys  via  the  Better  Internet  for  Kids  (BIK)  platform  in 
cooperation with other child and youth participation mechanisms. Adequate resources will be 
provided to enable the Safer Internet Centres (SICs) network to take on these additional tasks 
and ensure the long-term continuity of this work.  

The Commission will: 

1.  expand the focus on tackling cyberbullying in the review of the DSA guidelines on 
the protection of minors, in  particular with  regard to  measures  to  further prevent 
exposure to harmful content, and to improve the reporting systems of online platforms 
- scheduled in 2026; 

2.  adopt  DSA  guidelines  on  trusted  flaggers  which  will  help  clarify  their  role  in 

tackling illegal content, such as illegal cyberbullying, – by Q2 2026; 

3.  assess  ways  to  address  cyberbullying  on  video  sharing  platforms  in  the  ongoing 
evaluation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and its review 
– by Q3 2026; 

4.  support the effective implementation of the AI Act provisions on prohibited AI 
practices,  including  when  they  are  used  for  cyberbullying,  through  coordination 
within the AI Board and the guidance provided with the Commission guidelines on 
prohibited AI practices – from Q3 2026; 

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5.  facilitate  the  effective  implementation  of  the AI Act  transparency  obligations, 
including through a code of practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated 
content, which aims to support compliance with the AI Act transparency obligations 
related  to  marking  and  labelling  of AI-generated  content,  including  that    used  for 
cyberbullying – from Q3 2026.  

The Member States are invited to: 

1.  establish comprehensive national anti-bullying, including cyberbullying plans, 
benefiting from the support by the EU network on children’s rights in line with the 
Commission  communication  and  recommendation  on  integrated  child  protection 
systems; 

2.  use the common understanding of cyberbullying put forward by this action plan to 
collect consistent, comparable data on cyberbullying facilitated by Commission 
support through the network of the Safer Internet Centres and the Better Internet for 
Kids  platform,  and  to  jointly  work  towards  common  standards  in  tackling 
cyberbullying across the EU. 

3.2 Pillar II: Prevention and awareness 

The  best  way  to  combat  cyberbullying  is  to  act  before  harmful  incidents  occur.  Preventing 
cyberbullying requires healthy digital practices from an early age. It means equipping children, 
young people, and adults with the skills and confidence to speak about and to recognise online 
risks. It is also important to address the underlying attitudes that can lead to harmful behaviour 
online. 

To be effective, prevention efforts must involve bystanders, peers, perpetrators, parents, carers, 
educators, and the wider school community, with the support of all relevant actors, in particular 
civil society organisations. This was supported by 62% of the public consultation respondents, 
who  stressed  the  need  to  support  professional  training  for  educators,  law  enforcement,  and 
social workers. 

Prevention and awareness initiatives should also take place both in informal and non-formal 
learning  environments,  such  as  youth  centres,  sports  clubs,  and  community  settings,  where 
children and young people spend much of their time. Such initiatives should also integrate the 
prevention of and fight against any forms of discrimination, in synergy with the EU equality 
strategies. 

Digital  education  and  digital  literacy  are  increasingly  needed  to  navigate  the  online  world 
safely and responsibly. Informing children and young people about the importance of being 
respectful  and  responsible  in  digital  environments  can  reduce  instances  of  intentional  or 
unintentional  harm.  This  is  also  a  preventive  measure  envisaged  under  the  Directive  on 
combating violence against women and domestic violence.  

Children and young people, including those with special needs, disabilities or in vulnerable 
situations, should be actively involved in the design and delivery of awareness-raising activities 
which are empowering, inclusive and accessible, and break the silence around cyberbullying.  
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The Commission will make a range of prevention and awareness tools available at EU level, 
developed  in  partnership  with  children  and  young  people,  parents,  educators,  mental  health 
professionals, and Member States, as well as civil society organisations. 

As part of the digital education action plan (2021-2027), the European Commission will update 
its  guidelines  for  teachers  and  educators  on  tackling  disinformation  and  promoting  digital 
literacy through education and training. In addition, as announced in the communication on the 
European Democracy Shield, the updates will reflect developments in AI and social media and 
include teaching material and activities on cyberbullying and paying attention to inclusion and 
diversity.  The  European  Commission  will  also  develop  an  EU  citizenship  competence 
framework along with guidelines to strengthen citizenship education in schools. 

Moreover, digital literacy, prevention of cyberbullying, and digital well-being will be areas of 
focus in the 2030 roadmap on the future of digital education and skills. The 2030 roadmap will 
aim to ensure that young people are supported in building healthy online habits and informed 
about the responsible use of digital devices both inside and outside of the classroom.  

This work on digital literacy builds on initiatives that the Commission is implementing through 
the Erasmus+ programme and the European Solidarity Corps, the European School Education 
Platform (ESEP) and eTwinning. In the context of ESEP, the Commission will enable better 
and  permanent  visibility  to  all  materials  useful  for  schools  on  bullying,  including 
cyberbullying. From the 2026 Erasmus+ call, well-being at school will be strengthened to better 
support, monitor, and encourage projects addressing bullying and cyberbullying. 

The EU network for the prevention of child sexual abuse will help promote children’s education 
and awareness in relation to child sexual abuse, including considering initiatives to help prevent 
cases of cyberbullying from escalating to criminal behaviour (e.g. dissemination of child sexual 
abuse material). In addition, cyberbullying prevention will also be considered in the upcoming 
EU action plan on the protection of children against crime. The action plan will seek to provide 
a coherent  and comprehensive response to  the various risks faced by children in  relation  to 
crime, both online and offline. 

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) platform and its network of SICs provide support tools for 
children, parents, educators, and professionals at EU (BIK) and national (SICs) level. These 
resources  will  be  further  expanded  to  strengthen  capacities,  reach  more  stakeholders,  and 
respond to new cyberbullying challenges.  

As schools play a key  role in  preventing cyberbullying,  awareness-raising activities will be 
carried out with the support of the SICs and the BIK platform starting with the annual “back-
to-school" campaign at the start of each new school year, to equip teachers and children with 
training materials, tools, and information on how to prevent and report cyberbullying.  

Resources and training on cyberbullying for non-formal and informal education will be boosted 
through European platforms. These include the European Youth Portal, the one-stop shop to 
raise  awareness  and  promote  opportunities  for  young  people,  and  the  European  School 
Education Platform, the meeting point for the school education community and the Learning 
Corner,  providing teachers  and  education  professionals with resources  and  toolkits  on  EU 
initiatives.  

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Events like the European Youth Week and the European Week of Sport facilitate engagement 
on  a  variety  of  topics,  including  the  fight  against  cyberbullying.  The  Open  Method  of 
Coordination group on the fight against hate speech in sport, established in the context of the 
EU work plan for sport, is working on recommendations for Member States and stakeholders 
for the sport environment at large, including online. Its report is expected by the end of 2026 
and will include recommendations to counter cyberbullying.  

The Commission will:  

6.  address  cyberbullying  in  the  update  of  the  guidelines  for  teachers  and 
educators  on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy  through 
education and training – by Q2 2026; 

7.  strengthen  citizenship  education  in  schools  through  an  EU  citizenship 

competence framework and guidelines – in 2027; 

8.  strengthen digital competence, cyberbullying prevention and digital well-being 
through the 2030 roadmap on the future of digital education and skills – by Q3 
2026; 

9.  contribute to cyberbullying prevention in the forthcoming EU action plan on the 

protection of children against crime – by Q3 2026 

10. expand cyberbullying resources and training for schools and for non-formal and 
informal education, accessible for persons with disabilities, via the BIK platform, 
the SICs, the European Youth Portal, and the European School education Platform 
– from Q2 2026; 

11. support the Open Method of Coordination group on the fight against hate speech in 
sport in its work on recommendations for countering cyberbullying in the sport 
environment – report due by Q4 2026. 

Member States are invited to: 

3.  strengthen prevention and early identification of cyberbullying with clear 

guidelines and training for stakeholders such as educators, carers, professionals 
working with children in different domains (e.g. health, sport, justice, law 
enforcement); 

4.  strengthen child participation in policy design and implementation of measures 

for child well-being; 

3.3 Pillar III: Reporting and comprehensive support 

Victims of cyberbullying must have clear, trusted, and accessible channels to report abuse and 
obtain help, including for cyberbullying through private messaging. To be effective, support 
efforts  must  extend  beyond  helping  only  victims  of  cyberbullying  to  also  reach  bystanders, 
perpetrators, parents, carers, educators, and the wider school community.  

10 

 
 
 
The  Commission  will  promote  coherent,  EU-wide  reporting  possibilities  and  victim 
support. Reporting should swiftly lead to multidisciplinary support, both online and offline. It 
should involve all relevant authorities at all levels, private actors, civil society organisations, 
as well as parents, carers, children and young people themselves. 

Building  on  insights  gathered  through  several  targeted  consultations,  the  Commission  will 
support the roll out of an online safety app across all Member States, based on successful 
existing national practice models, such as the French 3018 app. The app will provide a secure, 
user-friendly, and confidential tool that enables children and young people to: 

i. 

easily report cyberbullying to a helpline, 

ii. 

safely store and transmit evidence in line with national legal frameworks, and 

iii. 

receive  tailored  assistance  through  coordinated  referrals 
enforcement, education, and child protection services. 

to  e.g. 

law 

The Commission will support the Member States, where needed and relevant, to: 

i. 

adapt  the  app  to  the  national  context  and  needs  (e.g.  translation,  branding, 
connection to relevant national services for support and platforms for reporting), 
provide  features  such  as  secure  reporting,  evidence  preservation  in  line  with 
national law and guaranteed confidentiality; 

ii. 

ensure interoperability with existing infrastructures and support systems, and 

iii. 

support the promotion of the uptake of the app among Member States, users and 
online platforms.   

Online platforms will remain responsible for establishing effective reporting mechanisms. This 
may amount to one of the measures put in place to ensure compliance with DSA obligations 
on protection of minors. Complementing these efforts, the app will be made available to online 
platforms  for  integration  into  their  reporting  and  user-support  tools,  including  through 
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) making it resource efficient and effective to report 
and respond.  

The  success  of  the  app  depends  on  the  availability  of  support  and  follow-up  by  national 
authorities. Member States will play an important role in ensuring that reporting via the app is 
backed  up  by  coordinated  offline  support  (e.g.  legal,  social,  psychological  and  educational 
support) as well as in communicating the benefits of the app. The app will aim for synergies 
with well-established reporting mechanisms in Member States for reporting child sexual abuse 
material  and  violence  against  women  online,  as  well  as  EU,  national  and  international 
helplines, notably child helplines (116 111) and missing children hotlines (116 000). 

The Commission will adopt the next EU strategy on victims’ rights in 2026 to complement EU 
rules with non-legislative measures. The Strategy will promote structures for targeted support 
(e.g.  medical  examination,  emotional  and  psychological)  and  protection  services  for  child 

11 

 
 
 
victims, including those of online crime. These will also address the victims of cyberbullying 
in the Member States where such acts are criminalised under national law. 

Under  the  General  Data  Protection  Regulation,  the  right  to  have  personal  data  erased  is 
particularly relevant where a data subject has given consent as a child and may not have been 
fully aware of the risks involved, including in the context of cyberbullying. The Commission 
will continue to support data protection authorities in developing child-focused tools to protect 
social media data, prevent data or account theft, and enable the exercise of their rights. 

The Commission will: 

12. support the roll out across Member States of an accessible online safety app for 
easy  reporting  of  cyberbullying,  adapted  to  national  contexts,  in  synergies  with 
existing  reporting  mechanisms,  including  helplines  and  hotlines,  fostering 
multidisciplinary support online as well as offline – from Q3 2026; 

13. address child victims and online victimisation, which may include cyberbullying, in 

the next EU strategy on victims’ rights – 2026. 

Member States are invited to:  

5.  analyse  their  national  context  with  a  view  to  make  available  a  national  online 
safety  app  with  tailored  support,  and,  building  on  successful  existing  national 
practice models, customise such a model to the national setting, including e.g. 
translation,  branding,  connection  to  relevant  national  services  for  support  and 
platforms  for  reporting,  while  ensuring  core  features  such  as  secure  reporting, 
evidence preservation in line with national law and guaranteed confidentiality; 

6.  ensure that reporting via the national online safety app is integrated with a holistic 
and  well-functioning  ecosystem  for  case  management  and  support,  including 
coordinated support offline (e.g. legal, police, social, psychological and educational 
support services); 

7.  make  the  national  online  safety  app  available  to  online  platforms  for 
integration  into  their  reporting  and  user-support  tools,  including  through 
Application  Programming  Interfaces  (APIs),  making  it  resource  efficient  and 
effective to report and respond; 

8.  promote  the  wide  uptake  and  use  of  the  national  safety  app  by  all  relevant 

stakeholders; 

9.  promote  tools  developed  by  the  data  protection  authorites  in  their  national 
languages  for  children  to  protect  themselves  from  online  risks,  such  as 
cyberbullying, data or account theft, attempted scams, sexual blackmail. 

12 

 
 
 
4. International  outreach 

and  multi-stakeholder 

cooperation 

The EU  aims  to  safeguard the well-being  and rights  of children within its  borders,  but  also 
contribute  significantly  to  fostering  a  safer,  more  inclusive  digital  environment  worldwide. 
Safer Internet Day is now a global campaign that calls upon stakeholders to jointly take action 
to make the internet a safer and better place for all, especially for children and young people, 
raising awareness of key online challenges and emerging concerns and trends. 

The protection and empowerment of minors online is a global priority. This is reflected in the 
EU international digital strategy. The EU co-funded network of hotlines in Member States to 
tackle the dissemination of child sexual abuse material online is part of the INHOPE network 
with currently 57 hotlines operating worldwide.  

The  Commission  will  continue  to  engage  with  like-minded  regulators  on  online  safety, 
including preventing and addressing cyberbullying, under administrative arrangements (e.g. at 
present  with  Ofcom  in  the  UK  and  the  eSafety  Commissioner  in  Australia)  and  digital 
partnerships (e.g. with Canada, Singapore, India).  

The EU will promote a cooperation against cyberbullying in international fora, in line with the 
Global Digital Compact. UN organisations have developed guidance and tools that can be used 
as good practices and benchmarks, including from UNICEF (website and open-source APIs), 
the International Telecommunications Union (guidelines on child online protection), as well as 
from the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on violence against children. The 
EU supports UNESCO’s outreach to regulators to implement the UNESCO guidelines on the 
governance of online platforms.  

The EU funds dedicated awareness and protection support programmes for children in non-EU 
countries, in particular candidate and neighbouring countries, online and offline, through the 
NDICI-Global Europe instrument. The EU also supports alignment with EU rules under the 
accession  process  for  candidate  and  potential  candidate  countries,  and  promotes  the  online 
safety of children and young people in neighbouring countries by exchanging knowledge and 
best practices through the Safer Internet Centre+ (SIC+) programme. 

5. Next steps 

The Commission will monitor the implementation of the action plan across all three pillars, 
working closely with Member States, SICs, and other stakeholders. Progress, challenges and 
good  practices  will  be  tracked  through  existing  tools  such  as  the  annual  BIK  Policy  Map, 
reports  from  the  SICs  and  regular  exchanges  through  expert  fora,  ensuring  transparent  and 
participatory monitoring.  

The Commission will work with Member States to embed monitoring frameworks into national 
cyberbullying strategies or policies, assessing implementation, accessibility, inclusiveness, and 
adaptability  to  evolving  digital  contexts,  with  involvement  of  children  and  young  people. 

13 

 
 
 
Findings will be shared at EU level to support mutual learning and policy alignment, informing 
updates to initiatives under BIK+ and the DSA. 

The Commission will take stock of this action plan in 2029, including through consultations 
with children and young people. 

6. Conclusions 

“We want a safe online space for children, for youth, and for the next generation but 
we do not have it yet. We have some problems. And these are problems not just for this 
generation. So, we need some help from the EU to make our safe online spaces. You 
have to start somewhere. We have to do it now. For the future.” 

A quote from children who are members of the EU Children’s Participation platform 

Children and young people reach out to us with a call for help to make online spaces safe, for 
them, their peers, and future generations. We must rise to the challenge across our entire Union, 
because  protection  and  empowerment  of  our  children  and  youth  should  not  depend  on  a 
postcode.  

Building on an already robust EU toolbox of legal and policy measures against online harms 
and drawing on contributions from a wide range of stakeholders, this action plan will help build 
a safe, inclusive and empowering digital environment for children and young people in Europe. 
It will complement and inspire ongoing EU initiatives on safer internet, platform responsibility, 
digital skills and education, child and youth empowerment, data collection, and international 
cooperation. 

The Commission invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse this action plan 
and  work  together  on  its  implementation.  The  Commission  calls  on  the  Committee  of  the 
Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee to promote dialogue with local and 
regional authorities, economic and social parties and civil society. 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX: Key Actions and Timeline 

Pillar I: Coordinated EU approach to protection 

The Commission will: 

expand the focus on tackling cyberbullying in the review of the DSA 
guidelines on the protection of minors; 

2026 

adopt DSA guidelines on trusted flaggers which will help to clarify their 
role in tackling illegal content, such as illegal cyberbullying; 

by Q2 2026  

assess ways to address cyberbullying on video sharing platforms during in 
the ongoing evaluation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 
and its review;  

by Q3 2026 

support the effective implementation of the AI Act provisions on 
prohibited AI practices, including when they are used for cyberbullying; 

from Q3 2026 

facilitate the effective implementation of the AI Act transparency 
obligations related to marking and labelling of AI-generated content, 
including when it concerns for cyberbullying. 

from Q3 2026 

The Member States are invited to: 

establish comprehensive national antibullying, including cyberbullying, plans, notably 
with the support of the EU network on children’s rights; 

collect consistent, comparable data on cyberbullying facilitated by the network of the 
Safer Internet Centres and the Better Internet for Kids platform. 

Pillar II: Prevention and Awareness  

The Commission will: 

address cyberbullying in the update of the guidelines for teachers 
and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital 
literacy; 

by Q2 2026 

strengthen citizenship education in schools through an EU 
citizenship competence framework and guidelines  

2027 

strengthen digital competence, cyberbullying prevention and 
digital well-being through the 2030 roadmap on the future of 
digital education and skills;  

by Q3 2026 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
contribute to cyberbullying prevention in the forthcoming EU 
action plan on the protection of children against crime; 

by Q3 2026 

expand cyberbullying resources and training for schools and for 
non-formal and informal education, accessible for persons with 
disabilities, via the BIK platform, the SICs and the European 
Youth Portal; 

from Q2 2026 

support the Open Method of Coordination group on the fight 
against hate speech in sport in its work on recommendations for 
countering cyberbullying in the sport environment. 

by Q4 2026 

The Member States are invited to: 

strengthen prevention and early identification of cyberbullying with guidelines and 
training for stakeholders such as educators, carers, professionals working with children 
in different domains;  

strengthen child participation in policy design and implementation of measures for child 
well-being; 

Pillar III: Reporting and comprehensive support 

The Commission will: 

support the roll out of an accessible online safety app across 
Member States; 

from Q3 2026 

address child victims and online victimisation, which may 
include cyberbullying, in the EU strategy on victims’ rights. 

2026 

The Member States are invited to: 

analyse their national context with a view to make available a national online safety app 
and, building on successful existing national practice models, customise such a model to 
the national setting; 

ensure that reporting via the national online safety app is integrated with a holistic and 
well-functioning support ecosystem; 

make the national online safety app available to online platforms for integration into 
their reporting and user-support tools; 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
promote the national online safety app among relevant stakeholders. 

promote tools developed by the data protection authorites in their national languages 
for children to protect themselves from online risks, such as cyberbullying. 

17