As part of its long-running anti-bullying campaign, Cartoon Network and the Cyberbullying Research Center released results of a study that found that 21% of tweens have experienced cyberbullying.

According to the survey of 1,034 tweens, 15% said they had witnessed cyberbullying, 15% have been cyberbullied themselves, and 3% said they had cyberbullied others.

Cartoon Network, part of AT&T, said the study is the first nationally representative survey of cyberbullying among tweens. The study is part of the channel’s long-running Stop Bullying: Speak Up initiative and the results will be used to anchor its 2021 campaign, which will include public service announcements.

“While there has been considerable research about cyberbullying among teens, there has been a huge gap in our understanding of these behaviors among tweens,” said Justin Patchin, Ph.D., professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. “This is a critical development stage, yet it has been vastly understudied when it comes to cyberbullying.”

The study also found that of the 15% of tweens who said they have been cyberbullied, 94% said it had a negative impact on them, including on their feelings about themselves, their friendships and their schoolwork. About two-thirds of tweens said they were willing to step in to defend, support or assist when they see people being bullied at school or online. But about 35% said they were afraid that trying to help would make the bullying worse, 26.8% said they don’t know how to report it online and 18.3% said they were afraid other kids would make fun of them.

Having done the research, Cartoon Network has created social content with tips from the Cyberbullying Research Center aimed at parents to help their children identify and stand up to cyberbullying.

“It was especially important for us to collaborate with the Cyberbullying Research Center on this critical research as tweens head back to their virtual classrooms, spending more time on digital platforms than ever before,” said Tricia Melton, chief marketing officer of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics. “Cartoon Network will use these findings to help equip kids, tweens and parents with the tools they need to stand up to cyberbullying.”

Expanding its anti-bullying campaign, Cartoon Network is teaming up with 826 National to launch the Inclusion Storytelling Project.

The project encourages youth to share individual stories about kindness and empathy in an effort to stop bullying before it starts.

As part of the collaboration, stories from elementary and high-school students will be compiled into eight illustrated publications. A book release event will be held by each of the 826 National chapters.

“Elevating kids’ voices is central to everything we do at Cartoon Network,” said Jill King, senior VP, marketing and partnerships, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang. “Equipping each kid with tools and resources to use their individual voice to speak up is a key goal of Stop Bullying: Speak Up.

“826 National is an organization that values children as a creative force as much as we do, and by developing the Inclusion Storytelling Project together, we are encouraging kids to use creativity to understand and spread kindness, compassion and empathy,” King added.

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The first chapter to release work will be in the Los Angeles Echo Park location on Thursday (Dec. 7). The releases by other chapters will continue into next year.

“Many of the students we serve at 826 come from traditionally under-resourced communities that are most affected by our changing political and cultural landscape,” said Laura Brief, CEO of 826 National. “We believe our students have the power and perspective to end a pervasive culture of bullying, and we are so excited to partner with Cartoon Network in sharing their stories and voices on a national scale.”

TLC is partnering with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center to take an active role in the bullying prevention movement.

The network on Oct. 22 will turn its red logo orange in honor of Unity Day, which promotes positivity, inclusiveness and kindness, said network officials.

In addition, celebrity talent from TLC’s programming will create videos speaking out against bullying that will be featured on TLC.com and TLC’s social media platforms. As part of the partnership, TLC will direct viewers to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center for resources and ways to get involved in the movement, said network officials.

Nickelodeon will look at the plight of gay kids with a special to debut Oct. 7, the network said Thursday.

The special, Nick News With Linda Elerbee: Coming Out will follow the everyday lives of gay kids as they face fear, acceptance, bullying, isolation, encouragement and ignorance, said the network. The half-hour special will also show how straight and non-straight teens can come together to triumph over bullying.

“It takes bravery for a kid to come out,” says Ellerbee in a statement. “Being accepted by straight people is not a given.  Being young and ‘different’ is not easy. This may be tough to talk about, or hear about, but this is important stuff.  Not addressing it doesn’t make it go away.”