A new report by the State Comptroller of Israel shows that 1 out of 10 youths in Israel experience cyber-bullying. In a third of the reports filed about sexual harassments online the victim has been a minor.
The report, titled “Protecting Minors in the Cyber Space from Cyber-Bullying,” points out that there’s no current government policy in place to protect teens online. In the last month 7%-10% of school students reported they’ve been victims of online violence. These numbers are extremely concerning.
ELEM is acutely aware of the role the cyber space plays in causing harm and distress among youth. This is why our program, ELEM Digital, operates online. It finds youth in chats, forums, on social media and groups. This way we manage to locate the youth that need assistance and provide help.
In addition, in the next few years, ELEM Digital will expand into its own field. It’ll be implemented across all of our programs in order to assist locating youth at risk using innovative technology, as well as provide assistance online.
The pandemic has shown us that online assistance can be lifesaving, and we believe accessibility will prove to be even more crucial in upcoming years.
Read more about the rise of cyber-bullying among youth during the pandemic here.
