This Lot high school is testing an application to fight against cyberbullying

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The Occitanie region decided to act to fight against cyberbullyingand its consequences on the educational career of the victims, by testing theapplication SafeBear among high school students. It thus finances 1,000 licenses for a budget of 40,000 euros. 13 high schools in Occitanie are concerned. In the Lotthe Louis Vicat high school of Souillac was chosen.

“The figures speak for themselves: one in six young people in France is a victim of cyberbullying and 24% of families are faced with it. Faced with this contemporary scourge, and its often lasting repercussions on the mental health of young people, it is our responsibility to protect students and support parents. In Occitania, we are therefore testing the innovative SafeBear application for the first time in 13 high schools, a real firewall against hateful content online. We are thus demonstrating that it is possible to act so that nothing hinders the success and development of high school students” explains Carole Delga, president of the Occitanie Region.

SafeBear detects hateful content

The SafeBear application analyzes private and public messages received on social networks and identifies all hateful and discriminatory content, threats, etc. It allows these malicious messages to be stored in a dedicated space, a digital safe. This material evidence can thus be used by the harassed person if they wish to file a complaint. It's up to her to take the initiative, nothing is done without her agreement.

When opening a SafeBear account, the user must provide the contact details of one or more relatives (parents, friends, etc.) who will be alerted in the event of hateful or discriminatory messages. But none of them has access to these messages without the user's consent.

The application today concerns social networks X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Snapchat and Instagramand is expected to expand into other channels, such as messaging services WhatsApp and Telegram. The benefit of the application is to remember all messages, even those that disappear automatically, like on Snapchat for example.

“Faced with the scale of cyberharassment, we have developed a technological solution that detects toxic content, alerts parents and facilitates the filing of a complaint with the judicial authorities using certified and enforceable evidence. On a voluntary basis, high school students in Occitanie will be able to use the application and protect themselves from toxicity on social networks. SafeBear is part of an ongoing process to ensure a safer and more inclusive digital environment” explains Christian Guillon, co-founder of the SafeBear application.

13 high schools in Occitanie

The experiment is therefore launched in 13 high schools in Occitanie, one per department, selected in partnership with the rectorates. Student volunteers have until mid-November to register on the SafeBear platform and will receive an activation code for the application when it is actually launched.

In the Lot, the Louis Vicat high school in Souillac was selected. Her principal Olivier Fourèswho arrived at the start of the school year in September, explains that the establishment has one hundred licenses. The information was sent to students and their parents before the All Saints school holidays. Students can register via a link. As part of the National Education PHARe program, the Louis Vicat high school, which has 323 students, regularly organizes prevention operations with the gendarmerie and associations. This Friday, November 8, students will participate in the National Day Against Bullying at School, hosted by the Education League.

Kilian Vaysse, president of the ACDH (Association Against Discrimination and Harassment) Lot and Occitaniewelcomes the initiative of the Region. “The application itself is very relevant. It will allow you to create a file, saving conversations that are usually deleted. » The absence and lack of evidence pose a real problem when the victim and those around them want to file a complaint. ACDH volunteers often face this difficulty. Killian Vaysse says “remain vigilant” to assess the true impact of this application. Will it really deter harassers? We wish…

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