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France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron Highlights Cyberbullying at G7 Meeting

International collaborations around the issue of online abuse are gaining momentum, with the British Council and Israeli Government recently hosting Cyber Week in Tel Aviv where Cybersmile Co-Founder Dan Raisbeck was invited to speak at a roundtable discussion on online harms, government responsibility and preventative solutions.

Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, has spoken out about ‘relentless’ online bullying at a summit in France.

Delegates at the G7 meeting held at Severs near Paris heard Mrs Macron, a former high school teacher, read out letters from distraught children and parents who had experienced cyberbullying and went on to outline plans for enhanced teacher training and increased support for those who are targeted online. During her speech, she described how cyberbullying can become overwhelming for young people.

“It’s relentless. Before, we went home at 4:00 pm and that was it, we could relax, now, it’s day and night.”

Brigitte Macron

Although Brigitte Macron tends to keep a low profile, she regularly visits schools and charities to promote her anti-bullying activities and continues to work with government ministers to address bullying and diversity in schools.

President Macron has also been addressing online issues at an earlier summit dubbed the ‘Christchurch Call’, in the wake of the tragic shootings in New Zealand earlier this year which were live streamed on Facebook to millions of people. President Macron co-hosted the summit with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and was attended by delegates from around the world to address the issue of extremist and violent content online.

“It is essential that international collaborations at all levels continue to grow if we are to develop the resources and capabilities necessary to tackle online abuse and harassment on a global scale.”

Dan Raisbeck, Co-founder, The Cybersmile Foundation

International collaborations around the issue of online abuse are gaining momentum, with the British Council and Israeli Government hosting Cyber Week in Tel Aviv at the end of June this year. The event, held at Tel Aviv University, was attended by heads of state and diplomats from around the world including Cybersmile Co-Founder Dan Raisbeck, who was invited to speak at a roundtable discussion on online harms, government responsibility and preventative solutions.

Other events focusing on young people and the internet this year include Stop Cyberbullying Day, which reached a global audience of over 94 million people and saw Pope Francis participating by calling for a more tolerant and caring digital future for children.

If you are affected by any kind of online negativity, we can help you. Visit our Cyberbullying Help Center or click on the blue logo icon at the bottom right of the screen to open Cybersmile Assistant, our smart AI support assistant. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the following suggestions:

What do you think needs to be done to protect young and vulnerable internet users from online harms? Share your thoughts by contacting us or tweet us @CybersmileHQ.