CIBERBULLYING, ECA DIGITAL E SOBERANIA REGULATÓRIA: proteção de adolescentes na governança das plataformas digitais

Resumo (EN)

The expansion of digital technologies and the consolidation of social media have profoundly transformed communication, sociability, and public participation in recent decades. Initially associated with the democratization of information and the expansion of freedom of expression, these platforms have come to operate under economic models based on large-scale data collection, attention monetization, and the use of algorithms capable of influencing behavior and decision-making. In this context, marked by surveillance dynamics, filter bubbles, and opaque recommendation systems, new forms of digital violence have intensified, among which cyberbullying stands out as a phenomenon that disproportionately affects children and adolescents.
Cyberbullying presents specific characteristics inherent to the digital environment, such as wide dissemination, persistence of content, replicability of aggression, and the relative anonymity of offenders, which amplify its harmful effects. The consequences for victims include emotional, psychological, social, and educational damage, such as anxiety, depression, social isolation, school dropout, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Moreover, these practices often reproduce structural inequalities, disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups based on gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, and socioeconomic status. This thesis analyzes cyberbullying as a multidimensional phenomenon resulting from the interaction between technological, social, economic, and legal factors, moving beyond the notion of isolated interpersonal conflict. It examines the role of engagement-driven algorithms, virality dynamics, and the circulation of hate speech and misinformation in shaping hostile digital environments. From a legal perspective, the study investigates the evolution of the Brazilian regulatory framework for the protection of children and adolescents, grounded in human dignity, the principle of absolute priority, and the doctrine of comprehensive protection. It analyzes the interplay between the Federal Constitution of 1988, the Child and Adolescent Statute, the Brazilian Internet Civil Framework, and specific legislation addressing bullying and digital violence, as well as related unlawful practices frequently associated with cyberbullying. From a comparative perspective, the research examines regulatory trends in different jurisdictions, highlighting the strengthening of platforms’ duty of care, age verification mechanisms, algorithmic transparency, and content moderation strategies. It concludes that effectively addressing cyberbullying requires integrated and interdisciplinary approaches capable of balancing freedom of expression, the protection of fundamental rights, and digital safety, through coordinated action among the State, families, schools, civil society, and technology companies. Finally, it argues that protecting children and adolescents in the digital environment demands not only legal enforcement mechanisms but also preventive public policies, critical digital literacy, and the ethical redesign of digital platforms.