Belgrade, November 8 - It is almost impossible to imagine life without the Internet, especially for younger generations. Although it may be an excellent tool for learning, development, and fun, the digital world has negative aspects. UNICEF studies show that most school-age children are exposed to digital bullying but often do not recognize and report it. In addition, many adults don't acknowledge the seriousness of digital bullying and its widespread, nor do they have sufficient knowledge to help the young who confide in them about things happening to them in the digital world.

In cooperation with the portal Blic Žena, UNICEF launched a campaign, "Stop the hate on the net," to raise awareness of digital bullying and the level of digital literacy in children and adults from their surroundings. The campaign lasted from September 19 to October 24. It was implemented with the support of companies Yettel, MTS, SBB, and the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications.

"Today Internet has a major role in our lives, and from a very early age, children start using it. Proper and timely education of children on digital bullying and how and to whom to report it is of key importance for creating a safe environment on the Internet. We have been strategically dealing with the subject of children's safety on the Internet since 2012, and thanks to our projects and work with many partners, over 40,000 children have gone through training for the safe use of the Internet. It's important to us to cooperate with the right partners in this area, which is why we supported the campaign "Stop the hate on the net." Only together can we create a safe digital environment for all, " stated Milica Begenišić, Sustainability and Events Senior Expert.

The campaign "Stop the hate on the net” had three stages, and four texts were published in each one. In the first stage, the notion of digital bullying was presented in more detail, including what it covers and to whom, and how it should be reported.  In the second stage, celebrities who supported this project – singers Ana Stanić, Zoe Kida, and Tijana Bogićević, and actress Milica Milša – spoke about their experiences with digital bullying and how they faced this problem. The third stage covered a series of texts in which experts advised parents how to follow the activities of their children on the Internet and how to help them protect themselves against digital bullying. 

All these activities were promoted on social networks.

During one month it lasted, the campaign was seen by almost six million people, while texts on the portal zena.blic.rs were read 123,411 times altogether. The project met with positive comments from the readers, who agreed that this is an important topic that should be much more discussed in public.