Is cyberbullying still a pressing issue?

Massi is one of the most viral creators at the moment. His videos, in which he performs dances with his friends in various iconic locations in Milan, accumulate hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes even millions. On the trending hits of the moment, the young TikToker enjoys himself and entertains his audience, without doing anything particularly different from many other young people who use social media for fun. Yet, under each of his videos, the comments are often full of insults. Among the more polite ones, you can read comments such as «Go get a job» and much worse. Others are homophobic, racist, and some even go so far as to wish him dead. The question arises: what drives a user to insult a minor who is having fun with his friends? Cyberbullying has been a topic of discussion since the birth of social media, but it only comes back into the spotlight when a tragedy occurs. According to a survey conducted in 15 EU countries by Unicef, «about 10% of children aged 9 to 16 who use the Internet reported experiencing cyberbullying at least once a month in the past year», while «[a]n average of between 8% and 17% of children aged 12 to 16 have seen harmful content online [and] an average of 13% of children aged 12 to 16 have received unwanted sexual requests several times in the past year».

The data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey confirm that the phenomenon particularly affects younger people. Among eleven-year-olds, 17.2% of boys and 21.1% of girls have experienced episodes of cyberbullying, percentages that drop to 12.9% and 18.4% respectively among boys and girls aged 13, reaching 9.2% of boys and 11.4% of girls among fifteen-year-olds. Despite the fact that awareness among young people of «the risks faced online» has increased, as reported by La Repubblica, the problem remains alarming. The Espad Italia 2025 study by the epidemiology laboratory of the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council of Pisa states that «more than 1 million students between the ages of 15 and 19 experienced cyberbullying in 2024 [and] 32% of young people admitted to having engaged in cyberbullying themselves». The consequences of cyberbullying on young people’s mental health are severe: nearly half of the victims in the Espad study expressed a desire for psychological support. Effects include loss of self-esteem, social anxiety, isolation, and depression, worsened by the fear and shame of being a victim.

To combat the phenomenon, there are various prevention tools. According to the Social Warning Association, it is essential to «educate young people on configuring security settings on social media and limiting access to their content from strangers». Another crucial aspect is «teaching how to block and report harmful content, essential actions to ensure greater protection. Technology usage rules should be shared to promote a balance between online and offline life». According to Gregorio Ceccone, a representative of the Scientific Observatory of the Ethical Digital Movement, it is important to have «a targeted pedagogical intervention». Il Sole 24 Ore states that «it is urgent to create spaces for discussion in schools and families, so that young people do not feel alone in managing the complexities of digital life». Massi is just one of the latest examples of how social media can transform from a resource into a risk. The fight against cyberbullying is still a long road and requires a collective effort involving not only digital platforms, which must strengthen moderation and security mechanisms, but also institutions, schools, and families.