David Lillis: Fighting Online Harassment

Online Harassment in New Zealand

While most social media is relatively benign or even positive in intent, we do encounter not only bad language and slights of public figures, but online attacks on private people (Lillis, 2025).

Recently, in New Zealand, various people have attempted to call out online abuse and possible defamation on Facebook, including attacks on a person’s character, integrity and even physical appearance.

David Lillis: Harassing Others Online

Online Harassment

Online harassment is a growing problem in pretty much every country. Unfortunately, it is readily available here in New Zealand too (Netsafe New Zealand, 2025). Netsafe defines online harassment in the following manner: when someone says or does something unkind or unsafe to someone else. When such activities happen on a device, such as a computer or mobile phone, it is called online bullying or cyberbullying.

Joanne Orlando: Young people need education, not unrealistic bans

The federal government has committed to a national plan to ban children from social media.

Details are still scarce. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged that “no government is going to be able to protect every child from every threat, but we have to do all we can”.