More than half of teenagers think cyberbullying is worse than face-to-face bullying and 43 per cent believe it to be a bigger problem for young people than drug abuse, a global online survey of around 5,000 teenagers across 11 countries* has revealed. The Vodafone survey, commissioned from YouGov, found that an average of around one in five (18%) teens across the countries surveyed had been cyber-bullyed and, as a result:

41 per cent said cyberbullying made them feel depressed or helpless (also 41%)
26 per cent felt ‘completely alone’ and 18 per cent experienced suicidal thoughts
21 per cent had ‘not gone to school’ and 25 per cent closed down their social media accounts
38 per cent said they did not tell their parents or guardians, as they felt ashamed (32%), scared their parents would get involved (40%), or worried what their parents might do (36%).

The Survey also highlighted the helplessness that many teens feel in the face of this threat, with 43 percent of those surveyed saying that they would find it hard to support a friend who had been bullied on social media, as they ‘could not find the right words’ to show support. 72 per cent of teens said they would be likely to use an emoji to express compassion or support for friends being cyberbullied.
In response to the findings, Vodafone has today launched the #BeStrong anti-cyberbullying emoji initiative, which involved the creation of a suite of ‘support emojis’ to raise awareness of the importance of conveying compassion, sympathy and support when friends are being bullied online. The emojis were chosen by the 4,720 teens surveyed from a wide selection designed by Vodafone and its anti-bullying panel as their favourite symbols for compassion and support. The favourite two sets of emojis can be seen below.
Vodafone has also used the findings of the Survey to develop a #BeStrong anti-cyberbullying learning resource which consists of 10 learning modules covering a range of areas, including privacy, coding, gaming, safety and other areas. .Vodafone is also talking to the major emoji app and social media platforms towards featuring the emojis on their platforms in the near future.

This major initiative forms part of Vodafone’s ongoing successful child online protection initiatives across its markets. Earlier this year, Vodafone Malta also launched its own project through the Vodafone Malta Foundation. The key element of this project is a brand new website, ibrowsesafely.com.mt, as well as its associated Facebook page, which both act as interactive online platforms where parents, grandparents and educators can find the latest information on issues related to internet use and safety online. The project also includes an outreach programme.

The results of the Vodafone cyber-bullying Survey will be featured in detail in an up-coming ibrowsesafely.com.mt campaign, and efforts are also underway to distribute the #BeStrong anti-cyberbullying learning modules in schools.