Social Media Companies Can Help Prevent and Respond to Bullying

Be aware that bullying affects a large number of children and youth. School-based bullying likely affects between 18 and 31 percent of children and youth, and cyber bullying affects between 7 to 15 percent of youth.

Bullying is a public health problem. Bullying has long been tolerated by many people as a rite of passage among children and adolescents. But bullying is not a normal part of childhood, and it is now appropriately considered to be a serious public health problem. Bullying negatively impacts the child who is bullied, the child who is the bully, and the bystanders.

Be transparent about policies and programs. Social media companies, in partnership with the Federal Partners for Bullying Prevention Steering Committee, should adopt, implement, and evaluate on an ongoing basis policies and programs for preventing, identifying, and responding to bullying on their platforms, and social media companies should publish their anti-bullying policies on their websites.