Norwegian children’s perceptions of effectiveness of social media companies’ cyberbullying policies: an exploratory study

There is a paucity of research that examines the effectiveness of social media companies’ anti-bullying tools from the children’s perspective. This article relies on two datasets from Norway: A small-scale explora- tory survey and focus groups with children at one school in Norway; and the EU Kids Online survey with a nationally representative sam- ple of Norwegian Internet-using children, to examine whether chil- dren and young people aged 9–19 are aware of and whether they use social media companies’ mechanisms against cyberbullying (e.g., various types of reporting, blocking, and companies’ safety and help centers). We also examine the extent to which children find these tools to be helpful and the underlying reasons for such perceptions of the effectiveness of social media companies’ mechanisms. The study further inquires into children’s perceptions of company respon- sibility for providing assistance in bullying incidents. While the major- ity of children in both samples know how to use basic tools such as reporting, the levels of awareness of various companies’ advanced tools as well as the use of these, are relatively low. Children also have mixed perceptions as to whether companies are able to assist. Results are discussed from the framework of children’s rights, offering policy recommendations.

Statistical analyses from both surveys indicate that most children know how to use or have used basic tools such as blocking and reporting. Nonetheless, they demonstrate limited familiarity with social media companies’ advanced tools (help and safety centers as well as social reporting-like tools). Children who were bullied and used reporting tools in such circumstances express mixed views as to whether such reporting was helpful. Consider that as many as 56% of children in Survey A who said they reported, never got an answer from the platform the last time this happened; and another 41% did not know what the outcome was the last time they reported. In Survey B, awareness of all tools increases with age and children who were bullied online were more likely to have seen and used all tools. Awareness of various tools is similar across the most popular social media platforms, and no platform appears to perform better than others when it comes to awareness of its advanced tools.