Online bullying is on the rise
in Italy, according to a study just released by the Lombardy
region.
The research published on Tuesday said that over the past
year cyberbullying cases have grown by 8% and that one in four
teens was involved in sexting - sending sexually explicit
messages or images by cell phone.
In addition, one in four teens said they started sexting for
the first time aged 11 to 12.
The research was presented at a congress on cyberbullying
promoted by the Lombardy region on the day the Senate approved
almost unanimously a bill aimed at fighting the phenomenon.
The bill on Tuesday garnered 224 ayes, one nay and six
abstentions and has returned to the Lower House because changes
have been made.
Luca Bernardo, the director of the pediatric center
Fatebenefratelli Sacco in Milan, which has hosted since 2008 one
of Italy's leading observatories on the phenomenon, said the
data showed the situation is getting worse.
"It is necessary to intervene and the motto is prevention:
families and schools need to be informed on the revealing signs
to recognize cases of cyberbullying", he said.
The center in Milan registers an average of some 1,200 cases
a year, 80% of which involve the internet, including
cyberbullying, sexting, online gambling and internet addiction.
Youths treated at the center "come from all over Italy - he
explained - because few or no structures treat the phenomenon".
Treatment should be available in all regions, stressed
Bernardo, calling for appropriate funding when the bill on
cyberbullying is approved to fund treatment centers and training
programs for teachers and parents.
Bullying victims are hard to identify because they tend to
isolate themselves, he noted.
Suicide can be an extreme consequence of bullying, which can
also induce self-harm, anxiety, depression and anorexia.
According to data on 2016 presented by the National
observatory on adolescence, 4% of a sample of 7,000 teens from
all over Italy said they "had sex" sending photos or videos on
WhatsApp, social networks or through text messages.
A reported 6.5% was involved in sexting, 2% had sex in front
of a webcam and 10% took intimate selfies.
Paolo Picchio, the father of a 14-year-old who committed
suicide after a sexually explicit video of her was shared by her
school friends, said that, "armed with a smart phone, teens can
ruin their lives".
Picchio, who has made it his priority to fight cyberbullying,
explained that he is contacted every day by parents from all
over the country who ask for help.
"I tell kids who are victims of cyberbullying not to hesitate
and talk, while I tell bullies and cyberbullies: what you are
going is not just foolery, it's a real crime", he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
