Curbing Online Abuse Isn't Impossible. Here's Where We Start

Schools nationwide are dealing with the ramifications of social media and cyber bullying. Pittsfield Middle High School in New Hampshire has created a new elective, “Drop the Drama,” where students discuss bullying and develop campaigns to improve their school’s environment.

Using play-based learning and positive communication lessons, an organization called Right to Play helps school children in Pakistan act less violently toward their peers. The program, which is now replicated in 18 countries around the world, aims to reduce gender-based violence and stereotyping in the classroom.

The Canadian federal government has identified bullying as a national problem. Roots of Empathy, based in Toronto, encourages empathy in elementary kids by having them interact with babies.

Kuwa Mwema, which is Swahili for “Be Kind,” is an online campaign that aims to promote tolerance and reduce cyberbullying by partnering with influencers and social media personalities to help spread awareness of the effects of cyberbullying and how to practice kindness online.

In this excerpt from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, the author details the role surveillance and apps like Nextdoor play in perpetuating and disrupting discriminatory housing policies, racism, and segregation in the United States. Furthermore, it details how online communities can be spaces for meaningful discussions on race and racism in America.

The Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence in Quebec has expanded rapidly, becoming a model for programs around the world. What sets it apart from projects in Europe and the United States is that it confronts extremism of all stripes — not just Islamist — and focuses on behavior that signals the risk of violence, not just radical ideas, only involving law enforcement as a last resort.

Morning Star, a global tomato processor based near Sacramento, California, establishes a unique organizational structure by eliminating manager hierarchies, titles, or promotions. The model gives individual employees managerial responsibilities for themselves and relies on peer review for compensation changes, performance evaluations, and work-flow decisions. In turn, the company saves on managerial overhead and instills respect and responsibility on all employees.

A group called Positive Coaching Alliance is training thousands of coaches and parents to change to culture of youth sports for the better, using a "relentlessly positive" approach, and trading out the win-at-all-costs ethos of professional sports for evidence-based, age-appropriate guidance to players.

In an effort to address online violence children face in the digital age, initiatives across several countries, including Spain, Romania, and Ukraine, are getting creative using theatre, media literacy training on AI and algorithms, anonymous reporting hotlines and classroom phone bans, among other strategies to help youth cope. The various initiatives have proven successful. For example, the school-wide phone ban in one Spain region resulted in a 27.42% decrease in cyberharassment cases between 2023-2024.

Front Porch Forum is a social networking platform that allows local community members to connect, whether it be to sell items, get together and even support each other during tough times. Despite varying politics and beliefs, the Forum helps bridge a gap during a time when divisiveness is at a peak. There are currently more than 250 forums across the state, specific to each community.