We stand by the family of “Kuya” Kim Atienza in this sad moment in their lives following the demise of their daughter Emmanuelle, known by her social media influencer name “Emman.” We understand that Emman had passed away at the very young age of 19, an apparent victim of those deadly scourges of modern times – cyberbullying and online harassment.

As a father of two teenage daughters, I share both the grief and the anger of Emman’s family, as well as the prayer that her death would not end up as another meaningless tragedy in that increasingly violent, dark world called social media.

Senator JV Ejercito took the first step in this direction. He recently filed the “Emman Atienza” bill, or the “Anti-Online Hate and Harassment Act.” Currently, laws have been passed to protect people from this scourge. Among them are the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which includes a section on cyber libel; the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, which includes provisions addressing bullying in elementary and secondary schools; and the Safe Spaces Act, which expanded the scope of sexual harassment to include online platforms.

Two other laws have been passed to protect people from psychological and emotional violence. These are the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 and the Anti-Violence against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.

Senator JV’s legislative initiative is expected to add teeth to existing laws and curb the spread of this practice, as well as prompt social media sites to take immediate action against various forms of bullying and hate speech. The lawmaker’s proposed law also directs social media platforms to preserve the data for use in court action against the perpetrators of cyberbullying.

Senator JV said cyberbullying “causes real-world pain.”

We agree as we applaud his move to strengthen existing laws and help these laws adapt to current harsh realities.

My elder daughter once shared with me the experience of one of her friends. She said her long-time friend at school had been experiencing assault on social media and had been having a difficult time dealing with the negative remarks posted in her profiles and sent directly to her other digital tools.

My initial reaction to my daughter’s story was, “That’s no big deal, tell your friend to just ignore the bashers.”

I later realized that my remark came across to my daughter as “unkind,” indicative of indifference and outright useless. Online bashing is a “big deal” to young people. Social media is their social world. They cannot just ignore what is said to them or about them by those with whom they share that digital space.

Teen psychology experts share four alarming effects of cyberbullying on young people. These effects include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and academic issues. These experts added one more dismaying effect. They describe it as “suicidal ideation and self-harm.” They explain that young people who are “constantly tormented by peers through text messages, instant messaging, social media, or apps can sometimes feel hopeless and may consider harming themselves.”

They advise: “If your child is being cyberbullied, it's important to help them take steps to deal with the issue and ultimately feel better.” This may mean reporting cyberbullying to social media companies, school officials, and even the police.

“Make sure you do what you can to put an end to the torment, including becoming familiar with the laws surrounding cyberbullying,” they add.

Here is an important counsel to parents like myself: Do not dismiss your child's feelings.

We must listen to them, empathize, and help them understand and process the emotions they are experiencing as a result of the unkindness and cruelty they experience on social media. Again, bashing and other forms of cyberbullying are “a big deal” as far as they are concerned. This is a space they value. At some point in their lives, this is their world.

Parenting specialists recommend that young people who are victimized by cyberbullying should benefit from having a counselor or therapist. These professionals can help them cope with and respond to cyberbullying in healthy ways. “Developing effective coping strategies can help your child weather this storm while building resilience and perseverance,” they advise.

Will laws with more teeth stop cyberbullying? We do not know, but we hope so. It appears that the digital space is an environment conducive to this practice. It offers the shield of anonymity. A cyberbully does not need to have an advantage in physical size, unlike in-person bullies. All that the cyberbully needs is sufficient intention to cause harm, significant malice, and a huge amount of indifference towards their victims.

We hope that the initiative of our lawmakers to curb cyberbullying would bear fruit.

There should be no more Emman Atienzas, no more parents grieving the loss of a child whose life was snuffed out by the cruelty of anonymous lurkers in the internet world.