Over Half of Bulgarian Children Have Faced Cyberbullying, New Study Shows

Jerusalem, 27 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- (BTA) – Just over half of all children in Bulgaria have become victims of cyberbullying, according to data from leading European experts. At 51.9%, this is 0.1% less than the average level for the European Union. However, cyberbullying in Bulgaria has decreased by about 12.5% over the past three and a half years.

These data were presented during a meeting with the participation of the President of the Bulgarian Security Academy, Prof. Vladimir Bronfenbrenner. The initiative is organized with the assistance of the Regional Administration in the Danube city, the Municipality and the Regional Department of Education.

According to Deputy Regional Governor Georgi Georgiev, in an era when technologies are an integral part of our lives, the Internet is not only a means of communication and knowledge, but also a space that hides risks.

“That is why it is so important to talk openly about them and seek solutions together. The forum that is being held today is not just a meeting of specialists, it is a sign that our society is ready to take the problem seriously, because cyberbullying is among the leading challenges to the security and mental health of children today. It has no geographical boundaries, and it does not have a day off. That is why our response must be systematic, united and sustainable.

Important steps have been taken in this direction in Bulgaria for a long time, relying mainly on educational programs, partnerships with schools, non-governmental organizations and the technology sector. But more than ever, we need a common approach – one that connects education, social policy, justice and security in a common strategy for digital child protection. And here we should not think so much about preparing a common strategic document, but about joint and synchronized activities,” Georgiev was categorical.

He expressed confidence that today’s initiative will become a successful platform for a shared vision and cooperation between all who understand the seriousness of the topic under discussion.

“Ensuring cyber protection for children is not just a technical issue, but a deeply moral and societal one. It means much more than protecting devices and data, above all it is protecting childhood – the right of every child to grow up in a safe, supportive and respectful digital environment,” Georgiev was categorical.

According to Professor Bronfenbrenner, in 6-7 years the percentage of affected children in Israel has decreased from 66% to 33%. “One of the main goals is to study the problem and find solutions accordingly,” he was categorical.

The professor gave the example of the Israeli state, where there is an Operations Center to deal with the problem, which works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There, anyone can call and receive the appropriate assistance, including sending a patrol car within 120 seconds.

According to Prof. Bronfenbrenner, law enforcement agencies and the education system cannot deal with cyberbullying of children alone. Therefore, it is very important to have the commitment of the entire civil society. Prevention is important first and foremost. But it is also important for each school to have the opportunity to conduct training independently.

Prof. Bronfenbrenner emphasized the creation of a hotline, which also acts as a coordination center, as well as the need for an official register of persons for whom there is data on pedophile acts. Punishment is also important, he specified.

“In Bulgaria, for about a year and a half, the Hristo Botev school in the city of Septemvri has been operating like this. There is an environment in which children work – surfing, on the other hand, these are 5 sections of behavior – to be careful about what they share on the web, what information they use and to reject fake news, not to share too much, to be polite, and to share their problems in this regard with parents and teachers,” concluded the professor.

He pointed out that ensuring children’s peace of mind in cyberspace also leads to much better results in coping in the learning environment.

According to official data, there are 250,000 – 300,000 pedophiles in Israel. About 3,000 have been convicted. “It is important that these people do not have access to schools and kindergartens,” said the chairman of the Security Academy, Prof. Bronfenbrenner, who recalled that cyberspace is no longer a virtual space, but a part of our everyday lives.”

The discussion is under the title “Together in Cyberbullying Against Children”, organized by the media “Standart”, the Bulgarian Security Academy, the Regional and Municipal Administrations.

The Mayor of Ruse Municipality Pencho Milkov spoke about the campaign that he and his team have shared to prevent aggression among young people. “As parents and public figures, we cannot remain deaf without understanding how young people overcome conflict situations,” said Mayor Milkov.

He explained that scientometric and proven approaches are needed to combat this problem. “This is an exceptional infection, it is not acceptable to remain deaf. Children communicate in a new world – a world of digital entities and images that they build,” Mayor Pencho Milkov also pointed out.

The forum is part of the Cyber Defenders program, which was founded in the country by Prof. Vladimir Bronfenbrenner in 2019 and has been implemented in partnership with the Child Protection Agency in Cyberspace – Israel since 2021, which in turn allows for the use of all the latest developments, including methodologies created by the Agency.

Since 2021, the media partner of the program is Standart Media, which publishes recommendations for children and parents created by Israeli specialists every week in both the paper and online editions of the media.

In the opinion of Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth (2019-2023), the program corresponds to the goals of the European Commission’s Digital Literacy Program.

The editor-in-chief and publisher of Standart Slavka Bozukova pointed out that the most important thing is the effectiveness of a given action. “In this case, in the last little more than 3 years, we have reduced the number of children injured in the online environment by nearly 190,000,” she emphasized, and also pointed out that the results of the high school exams have improved in schools that have worked to ensure adequate cyber protection.

The Regional Education Department in the Danube city indicated that they will emphasize the educational function of educational institutions. The goal is to focus on increasing digital literacy, because students must be familiar not only with the benefits of the Internet and high technologies, but also with the risks and threats they pose,” the Regional Education Department emphasized.

The meeting was attended by dozens of teachers and directors of educational institutions from across the region, as well as representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the courts, the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, the National Security Agency and the Directorate General for the Prevention of Corruption.