Technology has made online bullying nearly impossible to escape. Bullying has moved from schoolyards to social media, but kids don’t think about the effect their words can really have. Approximately 463,000 young people are bullied online in Australia each year, and victims of online abuse are up to nine times more likely to engage in self-harm and suicidal thoughts. 78% of youth bullied online are 10-15 years old.

To try to stop bullying, the focus has always been on reporting it after it’s happened. But there’s been nothing to protect children from it happening in the first place, as leading social media platforms have failed to introduce effective measures to combat online bullying behaviour.

We set out to find an innovative way to effect real change in the online environment – tackling online bullying behaviour before it happens.

After a successful pilot program, we launched our in-school program and made Reword available online as a free Google Chrome extension. To engage Protectors emotionally, we ran an integrated campaign calling for support. Featuring shareable content of real kids, parents and experts, it highlighted the problem and presented Reword as a solution. The campaign asked Protectors to install the tool at home and in schools, and to show their support and raise awareness by sharing.

We targeted youth via the in-school program and on social media, inviting them to directly interact with the tool and add new bullying terms. Being co-authors impelled them to take a stand against cyberbullying and promote Reword among their friends, extending the tool’s reach.

We directed people to our website, built using Angular JS, where they could explore videos; install Reword; and contribute to the lexicon. A custom moderation system ensured appropriate phrases were accepted.