Cyberbullying is a recent phenomenon which is gaining traction thanks the massive use of online application (social media, instant messaging, online games…) by children, younger and younger. Un France, a child receives his first electronic device at the age of 10 years old and 20% of children from 8 to 18 have stated that they already have been confronted to a cyberbullying situation.
Nevertheless, cyberbullying is not an offence punished by the French law efficiently. The penal code has evolved during the years to include the definition of cyberbullying: first as an aggravating circumstance of bullying and more recently as a component of school bullying.
Families are usually defensless againt this online hate, parents as much as children. How do we recognize a cyberbullying situation? How to stop it, how can we support children who are victims? Even if a lot of initiatives has been put in place, including with a governmental program, no solutions has been found to assist families.
Prevention is essential for the protection of children against online hate, since when parents discover the situation, the children already have been bullied. Like Camille Auffret said, marketing manager at Moonshot Insurance, in an interview given to News Assurance Pro in December 2021 : “We are encouraging communication between parents and children. In this offer, the child can manage what level of moderation he wants. If he wants to suspend the alerting system which warns the parents about some concerning contents, he can but the parents will know when he does it. This system also allows the parents to identify the first warning signs coming from the children.”
