About
Held annually since 2019, the Global StopCyberbullying Telesummit is the largest event on bullying and cyberbullying in Portugal.
It’s an event held during the month of October (European Cybersecurity Month and Bullying Prevention and Combat Month), organized and promoted by Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas, and Tito de Morais.
More than just talking about the problem, we talk about solutions.
With online sessions and many hours of learning, we hear several national and international experts who talk about how to prevent, identify, intervene, and combat bullying and cyberbullying.
We’re sure you won’t want to miss out.
The sessions will be conducted in Portuguese, English, or another language, depending on the specialist guest. Sessions in foreign languages will have simultaneous translation into Portuguese.
Check out the program* below, register, and come make a difference with us!
To participate, sign up here! This ensures you’ll receive links to attend all sessions for free.
Participation in the sessions is free, but registration is required.
* If the program is not available/updated, register now and you’ll be notified as soon as we have updates.
Organizers
Cristiane Miranda
Co-Founder, Agarrados à Net, PortugalAfter 20 years in the business world, in 2016 she branched out into different areas, which gave her a perspective on working directly with people. This led her to find her life purpose and do what fulfills her: helping others through coaching. She created a specific program, Teen On Top - Coaching for Young People, where she helps young people reach their true potential and supports parents in their task of raising their children. It's worth noting that she has over 20 years of volunteer experience with children and young people. She also created Teen On Top - School Edition, a program for schools that helps students define their goals and builds their self-esteem and self-confidence. In 2021, together with Tito de Morais, she created the project "Agarrados à Net – Como Gerenciar o Tempo Online dos Seus Filhos" (Hanging to the Net – How to Manage Your Children's Online Time), whose mission is to help parents and educators better manage the time their children spend behind a screen, as well as the children themselves to better manage their time online, in a practical, simple, and relaxed way. Among other programs, they developed the "217 Challenge - 7 Steps to Positive Digital Parenting," "What Kind of Digital Parents Are We?" and "Make Your Voice Heard! Turn the Table on Cyberbullying." They also co-organize and co-hosted the Global StopCyberbullying Telesummit since 2022. They structured and delivered the teacher training courses "Education for Citizenship and Digital Well-Being" and "Bullying & Cyberbullying - How to Identify, Prevent, Intervene, and Combat" for Plátano Editora, promoted by the Regional Directorate of Education and the Regional Secretariat of Education, Science, and Technology of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (2022). They also created Digital Well-Being Week and organize the International Conference on the Promotion of Digital Well-Being since 2023.
Sónia Seixas
Psychologist, Higher Education Teacher, PortugalBorn in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1970, she holds a degree in Social Anthropology from ISCTE and a degree in Educational Psychology from ISPA. She holds a PhD in Pedagogical Psychology from the University of Coimbra, with a thesis on health and bullying behavior. She has been a higher education professor since 1998, teaching primarily in formal and informal education courses, focusing on developmental and learning psychology. She is currently Vice-President of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém. She is a researcher, trainer, and author of books and articles on bullying and cyberbullying, including co-author of the books "Plano Bullying - Como Apagar o Bullying da Escola" (Bullying Plan - How to Erase Bullying from School), "Diz não ao Bullying - Não Deixes que te fazer mal!" (Say No to Bullying - Don't Let Them Hurt You!), and "Cyberbullying - A Guide for Parents and Educators."
Tito de Morais
Founder, MiudosSegurosNa.Net, PortugalIn addition to founding the MiudosSegurosNa.Net (KidsSafeOnTheNet) project in 2003, he was an external evaluator for the project "Cyber Training – Taking Action Against Cyberbullying," a European Commission-funded initiative that produced a training manual for coaches in the field of cyberbullying. He co-authored the book "Cyberbullying - A Guide for Parents and Educators" (Portugal, 2016) and a chapter of the book "Bullying: Perspectives, Practices and Insights," published by the Council of Europe in 2017. He was a trainer on the Advanced Course on Cyberbullying [E.learning] (1st edition - 2017; 2nd edition - 2018; 3rd edition - 2019; 4th edition - 2020) promoted by the CRIAP Institute (Portugal). He is co-organizer and co-host of the Cyberbullying Talks (2019, 2020 and 2021) and co-organizer and co-host of the Global StopCyberbullying Telesummit (2019 to 2025), with speakers from several countries, representing all continents. He was also an expert in the MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) 'Bullying & Cyberbullying: Prevent and Act' (1st edition - 2019; 2nd edition - 2020; 3rd edition - 2022) promoted by the Directorate-General of Education (DGE) within the scope of the SeguraNet Awareness Center and the Health Education team, and a consultant for the DGE working group for the plan "School Without Bullying. School Without Violence" (2019). Together with Cristiane Miranda, he is co-founder of the Agarrados à Net project and co-creator of the program "Make Yourself Heard! Turn the [Cyber]Bullying Around!". They structured and delivered for Plátano Editora the teacher training courses "Education for Citizenship and Digital Well-Being" and "Bullying & Cyberbullying - How to Identify, Prevent, Intervene and Combat," promoted by the Regional Directorate of Education and the Regional Secretariat of Education, Science and Technology of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (2022). They also created Digital Well-Being Week and organize the International Conference on the Promotion of Digital Well-Being since 2023.
Speakers
Candice Toprek
Underwriting Lead: Personal Cyber at iTOO Special Risks (South Africa)Candice Toprek brings over a decade of experience in cyber insurance, underpinned by an intricate knowledge of cybercrime and its evolving impact on individuals and businesses. Recognised as a trusted voice in the industry, Candice has been featured on leading platforms such as eTV, ENCA, CNBC Africa, CliffCentral, and PaarlFM. Her expert insights have also been published in well-known titles including The Star, Cape Argus, Citizen, FA News, RiskSA, Cover, Daily News, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. Candice is dedicated to educating the market, supporting brokers, and empowering clients with practical tools to understand and mitigate cyber risks. Beyond her professional role, she is passionate about building awareness around personal cyber safety, helping people protect what matters most in a connected world. Aside from graduating from the University of Johannesburg with a Certificate in Cyber Security, Candice is also a Certified Associate of the Institute of Bankers.
Eszter Salamon
Diretor at Parents International (Netherlands)She is the Director of IPA with experience in teaching at all levels from primary to higher education, training, advocacy, policy making, and research. She has a Doctorate in education leadership, focusing on parental empowerment and engagement, and child participation. She started dealing with the rights of the child in 1989, and has also specialized in parents’ rights and duties at European level since 2009 and internationally since 2015 working on various education topics.
Joana Martins
Coordinator of the UMAR Nucleus of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (Portugal)Joana is a member of the national board of UMAR (UMAR – Women's Alternative and Response Union) and coordinator of the UMAR branch of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. She is also the coordinator and education technician for the ART'THEMIS+ Madeira Project, which prevents gender-based violence in schools. She is a researcher for the Study on the Characterization of Youth and Families in the Municipality of Funchal (2024) and for the UMAR National Study on Dating Violence (since 2018). She is a trainer in the areas of gender equality, gender-based violence, dating, domestic and peer violence, human rights, among other topics.
João Dias da Silva
President of the Board of Directors at AFIET – Association for Training and Research in Education and Work (Portugal)Retired high school teacher, having worked at several schools, both as a teacher and in various roles such as class director, group/subject delegate, and chairman of the steering committee. He was President of the SPZN (North Zone Teachers' Union) (1998-2013) and General Secretary of the FNE (National Education Federation) (2004-2023).
Karla Sanders
Co Founder & CEO, Sticks ‘n Stones (New Zealand)Karla Sanders MNZM co-founded Sticks 'n Stones in 2013, a multi award-winning, youth-led bullying prevention charity in Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme works directly with over 1,000 students aged 8 to 18 each year. Karla was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of her leadership and impact in empowering young people to prevent bullying and drive cultural change in their schools and communities.
Kjerstin Owren
Former Anti-Bullying Ombudsman (Norway)Former anti-bullying ombudsman in Oslo, with broad experience promoting safe learning environments. Contributed to the book Bullying Prevention from a Community Perspective (2021), and supported schools through policy, training, and systemic change.
Laura Lundy
Professor of Children's Rights, University College Cork (Ireland)Laura Lundy is Professor of Law at University College Cork and Honorary of Education Law and Children's Rights at Queen's University, Belfast were she founded the Centre for Children's Rights. She is co-Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Children's Rights. Her expertise is in law and human rights with a particular focus on children's right to participate in decision-making and education rights. Her 2007 paper in the British Educational Research Journal, "'Voice' is not enough" is one of the most highly cited academic papers on children's rights ever. The model of children's participation it proposes (based on four key concepts - Space, Voice, Audience and Influence) is used extensively in scholarship and practice. The "Lundy model" has been adopted by numerous national governments, including Ireland it its national strategy and framework on child and youth participation, as well as international organisations including the European Commission, Council of Europe, World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
Luca Laszlo
Project manager in Parents International (Hungria/ EUA)Luca Laszlo is a project manager and PhD candidate of Parents International, and an education consultant at the European School Heads Association. Her PhD research, done in the scope of the PARTICIPATE project, focuses on the role of adults in children becoming cyberbullies. She has almost 10 years of experience in international education development focusing on the collaboration between diverse families and school and the digital transformation of schools. Originally from Hungary, she currently resides in the USA with her family.
Rodrigo Nejm
Digital Education Specialist, Alana Institute (Brazil)PhD in Psychology and a digital education specialist at the Alana Institute. He completed a postdoctoral internship in the Psychology Graduate Program at the Federal University of Bahia, researching interpersonal relationships mediated by digital technologies, online protection, and privacy. He holds a Master's degree in Management and Social Development from CIAGS/UFBA and a bachelor's degree in psychology from UNESP-Assis. He has worked for 20 years as a social psychologist specializing in online protection for children and adolescents, digital well-being, digital education for citizenship, and participation processes. He served for 17 years as Director of Education (from 2007 to 2023) at SaferNet Brasil, coordinating child protection programs in the digital context. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Expert Group for the Cetic.br ICT Kids Online and ICT Education research projects and a member of the Research Group on Interaction, Digital Technologies, and Society (GITS/UFBA).
Agenda
This program is subject to change. All dates and times indicated refer to Mainland Portugal. All sessions take place from 09:30pm to 11pm. Check the time in your location or time zone here. The sessions in English will take place with simultaneous translation. Sessions in Portuguese will not have translation. Last Update: 07/09/2025.
Title: Opening Session: Smartphone Ban in Schools: Impact on Bullying and Cyberbullying
Summary: In this session, the organizers of the Global StopCyberbullying Telesummit will discuss research on the topic, the advantages and disadvantages of banning smartphones in schools, and recommendations for schools, families, and professionals working with children and young people.
Speakers/Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas and Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Children’s Participation and Cyberbullying: A Child Rights Approach
Summary: This session will look at the role that children’s right to be heard in decision-making plays in preventing cyberbullying.
Speaker: Laura Lundy (Ireland)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Teacher Bullying
Summary: In this session participants will learn about why teacher bullying is a difficult to research phenomenon, and how Luca Laszlo and her research team has developed their questionnaire to gain empirical evidence in Hungary and the Netherlands, including the results of the questionnaire.
Speaker: Luca Laszlo (Hungary/ EUA)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Peer Violence: Knowing the Local Situation to Know How to Intervene
Summary:
Peer violence (bullying and cyberbullying) in schools in the Autonomous Region of Madeira: risk factors, protective factors, case examples, and local specificities.
Knowledge to intervene: reflection on the results of the study characterizing young people and families in the municipality of Funchal.
Speaker: Joana Martins (Portugal)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Perpetrator and Protector Roles of Parents and Teachers
Summary:
There is a growing pressure on school leaders to address cyberbullying incidents. They are mostly forced by some vocal parents to intervene in situations that happen outside of their “jurisdiction”. This session will aim to find a framework that does not overstep the authority, duties, and rights of each stakeholder, with special focus on cyberbullying incidents in which the perpetrator is not a student. It is built on recent research done by IPA and its partners in Europe.
Orador: Eszter Salamon (Netherlands)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: The Observatory of School Coexistence
Summary: The session will serve to present the initiative of establishing the Observatory of School Coexistence: partners, origin, objectives, actions developed.
Speakerr: João Dias da Silva (Portugal)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Experiences From Working as an Anti-bullying Ombudsman
Summary: This session is about how schools can create truly inclusive learning environments by focusing on community-building didactics. Drawing on experience as Oslo’s first Anti-Bullying Ombudsman and contributor to Bullying Prevention from a Community Perspective (2021), it highlights how policy, training, and systemic change can foster safety, belonging, and student engagement.
Speaker: Kjerstin Owren (Norway)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Reality of Cyberbullying in South Africa
Summary: Cyberbullying affects 1 in 4 South African teens – this is not just ‘online drama’. It has profound mental health, social, and even legal consequences. In this session, we’ll look at the South African reality: how widespread it is, the real impact on young people, the laws that apply, real-life cases, and most importantly, the practical steps parents, educators, and professionals can take to protect and support children.
Speaker: Candice Toprek (South Africa)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Tackling Cyberbullying with Law by Design
Summary: The myth of “digital natives” hides an essential reality: all generations need critical digital education to develop ethical digital skills, which cannot be achieved simply by scrolling through an endless feed. The business model of most platforms used by children and adolescents is focused on capturing attention, rewarding extreme content and harmful practices such as cyberbullying. Critical digital education is vital, but insufficient without proactive action by technology companies to align platform design with the guarantee of children’s and adolescents’ human rights, as already provided for in General Comment No. 25 on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The risks of algorithmic discrimination are also highlighted in UNESCO’s frameworks on the use of AI in education. We emphasize the centrality of a commitment to a rights-by-design approach in combating cyberbullying and other forms of online violence. We need to examine the children’s rights agenda in digital education in schools and families, questioning what the available “digital diet” is? What menu do schools offer? What quality digital products do digital companies offer? We believe it’s necessary to encourage healthy content, positive digital experiences, and, above all, to diversify experiences unmediated by screens, strengthening social bonds, pluralistic coexistence, and contact with nature. The design of AI platforms and applications will play an increasingly decisive role in inhibiting or intensifying digital violence and promoting or restricting the diversity of experiences. Educators, childhood experts, families, and children themselves need to have more agency in the design and selection of both digital platforms and the policies and programs we create to promote healthy and safe use.
Speaker: Rodrigo Nejm (Brazil)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Building Active Bystanders: Co-Designed Bullying Prevention With New Zealand Students
Summary: This workshop offers practice-based research insights into the implementation of co-designed bullying prevention programmes developed with hundreds of Year 5-8 students across New Zealand schools. By centering meaningful student involvement, these programmes empower young people to deepen their understanding of active bystander strategies and transform this learning into creative activities, games, and concepts that they can share with peers and younger students.
Speaker: Karla Sanders (New Zealand)
Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
Title: Closing Session: Youth Participation in Preventing and Tackling Bullying.
Speakers/Hosts: Cristiane Miranda, Sónia Seixas e Tito de Morais (Portugal)
News
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