PRIORITISING PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN COMBATING CYBERBULLYING

“Law and legal institutions must be stable, and yet they cannot stand still,” once remarked Roscoe Pound. Though law ought not to stand still, it, being of a conservative nature, adapts slowly to changing social conditions. Cyberbullying is such a growing global concern now, being intensified by rapid technological advances, that the law is finding it difficult to catch up with its modern evolving forms. In this regard, taking more ‘preventive measures’ alongside strengthening the legal framework can help combat cyberbullying. 
Cyberbullying may be defined as an aggressive act of harassment carried out by an individual or a group through the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and other online spaces. Usually, it is a repeated behaviour aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming the targeted people.  While modern technology has brought numerous benefits, it has opened up new avenues for different forms and methods of cyberbullying. For example, AI-generated content and deepfake videos have added a new layer to this growing problem of harassment.

To combat this growing concern, the solutions are twofold. The first one involves the legal framework and enforcement of law. In Bangladesh, there is no single, explicit statute titled ‘Anti-Cyberbullying Act’. Cyberbullying-related offences are prosecuted under section 25 of the Cyber Security Act, 2026, section 8(2) of the Pornography Control Act, 2012, and some provisions of the Penal Code 1860.  However, the authorities have repeatedly amended cyber laws, including the repeal of the Digital Security Act, 2018; the enactment of the Cyber Security Act, 2023; the later repeal of this and the enactment of the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025; and, recently, this ordinance has been replaced by the Cyber Security Act, 2026.
To our great surprise, the government has once again begun the process to amend the Cybersecurity Act, 2026. Consequently, these repeated amendments have actually led to instability and uncertainty in enforcement.  Furthermore, law enforcement and the judiciary frequently lack the specialised digital training and sufficient technical expertise needed to investigate and prosecute crimes effectively. The number of cyber tribunals is limited, and cases are heavily backlogged. In addition, reluctance to assist in preliminary investigations before taking cognisance of the offence; lengthy procedures; the fear of social stigmas; and public shaming deter victims from filing official complaints. 
Consequently, fewer cases are filed compared to the vast number of incidents of cyberbullying. Ultimately, all the problems addressed above resulted in no remedy for the victim but rather emotional and psychological disruption. Therefore, strengthening the legal framework and its effective implementation are essential to ensure justice for the victims of cyberbullying.
However, the fact that punishment is not always the most effective way to change the behaviour of bullies necessitates our second solution. This solution involves adopting ‘preventive measures’ that require a combination of individual awareness, proactive technological tools and strong institutional policy. 
To create awareness, educational institutions should include digital literacy, online ethics and cyber safety lessons in their curricula. Government agencies, NGOs, and media platforms should conduct nationwide awareness programmes about cyberbullying. Regular workshops, seminars, and training sessions can also be arranged. Awareness programmes should inform people about available complaint mechanisms, cybercrime units and legal remedies so that victims feel safe to come under the protection of the law. In this regard, influencers, content creators, and public figures can play an important role in increasing awareness. 
To reduce vulnerability to cyberbullying, digital platforms offer some authentic features, like using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, optimising privacy settings, etc. People should be educated to utilise these features. 
At the same time, technology itself can be used to defend against the harmful effects of its misuse. For instance, social media platforms can increase the use of artificial intelligence to automatically detect and remove cyberbullying content before it spreads widely. 
To prevent harassment by deepfake videos, a watermarking system, which embeds imperceptible digital signatures directly into a video's pixels, audio frequencies, or metadata, should be introduced. If the video is manipulated, the watermark changes or breaks, allowing specialised software to detect tampering or instantly identify the file as synthetic. 
Moreover, social media platforms should improve privacy settings and user verification systems to prevent fake accounts. Platforms can introduce pop-up warnings or alerts when users attempt to post offensive or harmful comments online. 
Finally, strong institutional policy can help reduce the vulnerability of cyberbullying. The government should increase the number of specialised cybercrime units. Educational institutions and workplaces should coordinate with these cybercrime units.
These institutions should take a policy on using content filtering systems, monitoring software, and cybersecurity tools. Institutions can also provide counselling services. And the government should collaborate with technology companies like Meta, Google and Microsoft to develop advanced cybersecurity and anti-harassment technologies. 
Therefore, mere creation or amendment of law and its enforcement, which is still problematic, cannot alone mitigate the issue of cyberbullying. Rather, alongside the legal framework and its implementation, adopting preventive measures can be the best way to combat cyberbullying. 

The writer is a student of law at Dhaka University