
BUCHAREST / MADRID / KYIV - From cyberbullying and cyberharassment, exposure to harmful content and hate speech, to online child sexual abuse and exploitation, statistics show that all are on the rise, and digital safety for the youngest citizens has become a global concern.
The accelerated development of AI only adds complexity, generating new forms of cyberviolence, such as deepfake nudes and deepfake pornography, which further exacerbate the already serious emotional and psychological risks associated with prolonged screen time.
For many parents and educators, the digital world feels overwhelming. Schools are only just beginning to address the complex forms of violence that children experience in their everyday lives, while authorities—often unaware or unequipped—struggle to respond. Legislation lags behind, and technology companies remain largely silent about the threats perpetuated on their platforms and networks.
In this intricate context, a team of journalists from Romania, Spain, and Ukraine investigate the tools, laws, and protection measures currently in place to counter the growing forms of online violence affecting millions of young people. The solutions range from media education and digital literacy programmes to participatory theatre raising awareness about cyberharassment; from hotlines for reporting and monitoring online child sexual abuse to AI chatbots designed to help young people and their families stay safer online.
The in-depth series of articles published by each media outlet also maps emerging legislative initiatives across Europe—such as social media and mobile phone bans in schools, or granting individuals copyright over their own faces to combat deepfake imagery. These are all pieces of a complex puzzle of measures that must be taken and continually adapted in the face of an ever-growing wave of digital, borderless crimes against some of the most vulnerable internet users.
Image by Malu Jaramillo/Maldita.es
ONLINE
- Children as a target: How Ukraine fights online violence, Rubryka, 15/09/2025
- How do we keep children safe from online violence and the challenges of AI, Maldita, 18/09/2025
- De educación mediática a una policía cibernética: los esfuerzos de España, Ucrania y Rumanía para proteger a los menores de la violencia digital y los desafíos de la IA, Maldita, 18/09/2025
- El teatro contra el ciberbullying: talleres, campamentos y otras apuestas culturales como solución a la violencia digital contra menores, Maldita, 19/09/2025
- Una violencia que nunca acaba: ciberacoso, grooming, contenido sexual creado con IA y otras violencias digitales contra menores, Maldita, 19/09/2025
- Las dos caras de la IA: cómo se usa para ejercer violencia digital contra menores y cómo puede ser parte de la solución (aunque aún tiene limitaciones), Maldita, 22/09/2025
- ¿Qué hacer si un menor es víctima de violencia digital? Regulación y proyectos de ley para legislar sobre los nuevos retos de la tecnología, Maldita, 22/09/2025
- Móviles en el aula, ¿sí o no? Regulación en España y el debate sobre la efectividad de su prohibición, Maldita, 22/09/2025
More to come
COUNTRIES
- Romania
- Ukraine
- Spain
need resources for your own investigative story?
Journalismfund Europe's flexible grants programmes enable journalists to produce relevant public interest stories with a European mind-set from international, national, and regional perspectives.
support independent cross-border investigative journalism
We rely on your support to continue the work that we do. Make a gift of any amount today.