Cyberbullying, Media Education and Agents of Socialization in Montenegro

This article proposes a reflection on the role of the school and the family in the prevention and reduction of cyberbullying in Montenegro, through the presentation of the key results of a research on children and Internet conducted by UNICEF in 2016. The starting hypothesis is that the lack of close and quality relationships between children and parents and between children and teachers presents one of the leading causes of peer violence, which becomes a more widespread problem with cyberbullying. Digital competence gap between children and adults does not help, but it deepens the lack of the intergenerational dialogue reducing the opportunities for intergenerational socialization. Cyberbullying phenomenon can be reduced once the key socialization agents are provided with the cultural and social tools and knowledge to create opportunities for a quality intergenerational dialogue. Research findings suggest that digital literacy education for every child, as well as for parents and teachers, make the necessary starting point in order to prevent, recognize and deal with cyberbullying effectively.