Cyberbullying campaign: When words hurt...

Cyberbullying is one of the most current everyday problems faced by children and young people. According to the 2016 JAMES study, one in four children in Switzerland is bullied, humiliated, threatened or exposed on social networks. With the new «When words hurt» campaign, the Elternsein Foundation is highlighting the dramatic consequences of cyberbullying - and making the pain of bullying victims tangible for children, young people and their parents.
The film for the awareness campaign of the Stiftung Elternsein.

What is part of a beautiful childhood? Certainly not sadness, despair and loneliness! Yet it is precisely these emotions that characterise the everyday lives of many children and young people. The reason for this is often cyberbullying. Online harassment culminates in verbal attacks such as: «Do us a favour and kill yourself!»

While juvenile crime has fallen in recent years, cases of cyberbullying are on the rise. One of the main reasons for this is that perpetrators find it easier to cross boundaries compared to direct bullying. As the victims are not seen to suffer directly, the perpetrators become even more unrestrained and brutal. Victims, on the other hand, never know how many people are reading along.

What's more, there are no safe havens. Disparaging comments, humiliation and threats don't stop when you get home. Anyone who is bullied feels pain, anger and shame. This often leads to insomnia, depression, social isolation and self-doubt, and in extreme cases to suicide.

The emotional pain of cyberbullying victims has been difficult for others to understand - until now. The installation of the Elternsein Foundation is changing that.
The emotional pain of cyberbullying victims has been difficult for others to understand - until now. The installation of the Elternsein Foundation is changing that.

Empathise with the pain

What does it feel like to be a victim of cyberbullying? With the new campaign «When words hurt», the Stiftung Elternsein (Parenthood Foundation) is drawing attention to the growing problem of digital psychological terror. Using a specially created mobile phone installation, the pain of seven real victims of bullying can be felt. While you hold the smartphone in your hand, real chat histories arrive. Depending on the level of aggression of the messages, the phone sends mild to strong electrical impulses to the «victim».

«With our campaign, we want to sensitise children and young people to how much harm they can cause with a disparaging comment, an insulting line or a quickly typed threat,» says Thomas Schlickenrieder, Managing Director of Stiftung Elternsein. In order to combat cyberbullying effectively, the media skills of children and young people need to be further strengthened. «Responsible use of the internet is one of many issues that the foundation is committed to.»

Read more:

  • «Und plötzlich waren Pornobilder von mir im Netz» – ein Cybermobbing-Opfer erzählt.

Cyberbullying - what young people and parents need to know

  • Get help: Support and comfort from parents, teachers, friends or other trusted persons are essential.
  • Do not apportion blame: If parents suspect that their child is being bullied online, they should speak to them about it. Important: don't overreact, don't apportion blame, stay calm and reassure the child that you will find a solution together.
  • Do not react by banning mobile phones or the internet: The internet and mobile phones play a major role in a child's leisure time and school. A ban sends the wrong signal.
  • No response to online attacks: The perpetrators thrive on feedback from the victim. Even if the temptation is great: don't retaliate.
  • Save evidence: Save conversations, messages, videos or images - including screenshots.
  • Contact website operators: Parents can ask website operators to delete content about their child.

About the Stiftung Elternsein:

Because there is no training for the most demanding job in the world, the Stiftung Elternsein takes on the questions and concerns of parents. We support and accompany parents of school-age children in all matters relating to upbringing and education and make a valuable contribution to the dialogue between children and young people, parents and teachers.
The Elternsein Foundation, publisher of the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi, regularly runs awareness-raising campaigns and informs parents seeking advice with short films on relevant topics such as media consumption, school anxiety, mental disorders, ADHD and strengthening social skills.
The politically and denominationally independent Elternsein Foundation was founded by Dr Ellen Ringier in Zurich in 2001.