Commission launches public consultation and call for evidence on cyberbullying

 

•   Opening: 22 July 2025
•   Closing: 29 September 2025

The Commission is gathering public input for its upcoming Action plan against cyberbullying —part of a broader effort to create a better, safer online world for children and young people.

Cyberbullying is on the rise, fuelled by the increasing digitalisation of young people’s lives and wider access to social media. About 1 in 6 adolescents report being victims of cyberbullying, while 1 in 8 admit to perpetrating it.

The Commission has launched a public consultation and a call for evidence to support the development of a comprehensive Action plan against cyberbullying. These initiatives aim to build a comprehensive, inclusive, and effective strategy to combat cyberbullying across the EU, particularly among minors, while also considering the gender dimension and the heightened vulnerability of certain groups of youth up to the age of 29.

The Action Plan against cyberbullying was announced in the Political Guidelines and is part of a set of complementary measures for the protection and empowerment of minors online. This includes the:

• Guidelines on the protection of minors under Article 28 of the DSA and enforcement actions,
• Blueprint for an age-verification solution
• Inquiry on the impact of social media on mental health and the implementation of the Better Internet for Kids Strategy.

The Public Consultation invites stakeholders, including minors and youth, public authorities, education institutions and teachers, civil society organisations on children’s rights, online platforms, industry associations and others to share their experiences and perspectives.

The Call for Evidence complements the public consultation by inviting stakeholders to provide their knowledge and research on cyberbullying, including examples of existing definitions of cyberbullying, examples of national legislation and policies addressing the issue, and existing successful good practices on how to address the issue.

In parallel to this Public Consultation, the Commission is holding targeted consultations, including an upcoming one for children through the Children Participation Platform.

The consultations are available in all EU languages on the Have Your Say portal. 

The public consultation is also available in an easy-to-read version (as of 29/07) and in Word format for screen-reader users.