The European Union’s Response to Bullying and Cyberbullying: An Educational Policy Analysis

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the European Union’s response to school bullying and cyberbullying through its educational policies. For this purpose, a search of European policies was carried out in EUR-Lex, including all dates, to get a complete picture of this phenomenon. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 policies were selected. These were analyzed, according to Content and Documentary Analysis, using MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2024 through a codebook composed of two dimensions: one legal and one specific to bullying and cyberbullying. The results showed that most of these policies are soft policies, especially recommendations, issued by the Council of the European Union. At the same time, there is an interest on the part of the European Union to prevent bullying by addressing the contextual and cultural risk factors and improving teacher training and emotional education. In conclusion, European policies have a largely technological, preventive, and contextual and cultural approach. Finally, this paper also offers some policy recommendations to prevent school bullying and cyberbullying in political terms.