Experts report surge in cyberbullying by teenagers targeting peers and teachers in Ukraine: What punishment courts impose
In Ukraine, teenagers are increasingly insulting their peers using digital technologies, experts reported during a closed discussion on the protection of children’s rights in the digital environment held by the Human Rights Platform organisation. Another alarming trend is the cyberbullying of teachers using their videos and photos. The number of bullying complaints to the Ombudsman’s Office is also growing.
Photo: illustrative from open sourcesThe discussion focused on the results of the Human Rights Platform’s monitoring of court practice from September 2025 to May 2026. Experts analysed cases of administrative offences related to bullying and the failure to fulfil parental duties regarding raising children, noticing a new trend: bullying using digital technologies.
In particular, teenagers are increasingly participating in dangerous online challenges, distributing intimate photos or videos of classmates online, and writing insults in comments. Another worrying trend that experts drew attention to is the cyberbullying of teachers. Children secretly record educators on video or take photos of them, and then publish these materials with offensive captions in school chats.
For children’s behaviour online, courts hold their parents, mostly mothers, administratively liable. Usually, a warning or a fine ranging from 850 to 1,700 hryvnias is issued.
At the same time, the practice of bringing people to civil liability has begun to form in Ukraine: experts found a case where a court satisfied a claim for compensation for moral damages caused by the cyberbullying of a child.
The statistics of bullying complaints to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights are growing. In particular, while 191 such complaints were received in 2025, there were already 157 in the first seven months of 2026. This indicates not only the spread of the phenomenon but also the growth of people’s legal awareness, as victims are more likely to seek help, experts noted during the discussion.
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On 11 August 2026, Ukraine updated the rules for responding to bullying in schools. A bullying complaint can be submitted in any form, and the school administration is obliged to respond within three hours by notifying parents and forwarding the notification to the National Police and the Children’s Affairs Service. The new rules also apply to the distribution of photos, videos, and audio materials of bullying.
As a reminder, ZMINA reported that Ukrainian teenage girls more often face online violence related to sexual content, while boys face extortion of money. To combat cyberbullying in Ukraine, legislation must be harmonised with European legislation.
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