The need for targeted criminal provisions and platforms’ responsibility to effectively address cyberbullying and online harassment
B-10-2026-0205
on behalf of the PfE Group · Rapporteur: Fabrice Leggeri
Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.
This resolution addresses cyberbullying and online harassment, expressing solidarity with victims and calling for Member States to improve criminal law responses while respecting subsidiarity.¶¶¶ It urges platforms to swiftly remove non-consensual intimate content, implement reporting tools, and adapt content streams to user preferences, while warning against mandatory digital IDs and message scanning.¶¶¶ It emphasizes prevention through digital literacy, parental support, and privacy by design, and calls for safeguards against AI misuse such as 'nudification'.¶¶¶
Key points
- Expresses solidarity with all victims of cyberbullying and online harassment, and reaffirms children's right to a digital environment free from fear.¶
- Reaffirms that EU action must respect subsidiarity; Member States are primary in defining criminal offences and educational curricula.¶
- Calls on Member States to draw from national best practices, including criminalising distribution of intimate images without consent and sextortion.¶
- Calls for swift removal of intimate content and prosecution of perpetrators of 'revenge porn'.¶
- Urges platforms to implement mechanisms for immediate removal of non-consensual intimate content and prevent re-uploading.¶
- Calls for user-friendly tools to report problematic content, block interactions, and access support services.¶
- Calls for mechanisms for users to express disinterest in content, leading to binding adaptation of content streams to protect minors.¶
- Urges Member States to support awareness campaigns to empower parents as guardians of children's digital lives.¶
- Warns against mandatory digital IDs or indiscriminate scanning of private messages as they infringe privacy.¶
- Expresses reservations about the European age verification app, citing hacking and risks to data protection and cybersecurity.¶
- Calls for a comprehensive approach with stronger platform accountability, parental controls, and limits on screen exposure; age thresholds are Member State competence.¶
- Calls for safeguards against AI misuse, including 'nudification', and supports developments in the omnibus relating to AI.¶
Who is affected
- Victims of cyberbullying and online harassment, especially minors, and their families.¶
- Digital platforms, which are urged to take responsibility for content removal and user tools.¶¶
- Member States, called on to improve criminal law and support awareness campaigns.¶¶
- National law enforcement agencies and Europol, encouraged to provide specialised training and support.¶
Legal basis: Article 165 and Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶