Prince William launches anti-cyber bullying code

Facebook, Snapchat set to bring in ways to help young people being bullied

Prince William has launched a national action plan to tackle cyberbullying in the UK.

Facebook and Snapchat are set to bring in ways to help young people who are being bullied online after Prince William's intervention. Other firms taking part in the project are Google and EE.

The 35-year-old Duke of Cambridge aims to reach "every 11 to 16-year-old in Britain" and "to empower them to stop cyberbullying," a Kensington Palace statement says.



"The internet has opened our world to exciting opportunities, giving young people a view of the world their parents could only dream of," the statement adds. "But with it has come a new ferocity to bullying that can follow a child wherever they go. Cyberbullying is a serious threat to happy, healthy childhoods and in the most serious cases can ruin lives."

A code of conduct has been drawn up by The Royal Foundation's Taskforce on the Prevention of Cyberbullying which consists of tech companies, children's charities and parents. The taskforce is headed by the prince.

One of the solutions of the taskforce is a code of conduct called 'Stop, Speak, Support', which encourages young people to think critically about what they see on the internet and to speak out against it.

Taskforce Charity Partner, speaking to ENews said "'Stop, Speak, Support' provides simple steps for children and teenagers who witness cyberbullying to follow.

"With an emphasis on encouraging their peers to speak out and seek help from either a trusted adult or Childline, because bullying doesn't go away on its own."



The campaign will be running a pilot from November 2017 to May 2018 during which Facebook and Snapchat will be providing and evaluating an emotional support platform to its users which includes self-help content and one-to-one counseling.

This story originally appeared on ENews