According to the latest figures published this Thursday on the occasion of the National Day against school bullying, 40% of teenagers confess to having already suffered an assault online. They are even 10% to declare themselves victim of cyberstalking, that is to say 3 pupils per class. A phenomenon which did not amplify during the health crisis, but which has started up again since September with the return to full-time class in schools, colleges and high schools. Faced with adolescent victims or perpetrators of harassment and their often deprived parents, the Bordeaux start-up MyTwiga, based in Bègles, offers digital tools intended to empower young people and foster dialogue with their parents.
A training platform for young people and their parents
For teenagers, who are 89% to have a laptop from 11 years old, that is to say from the beginning of 6th grade, Mytwiga offers small very concrete training sessions via videos or tutorials: how to protect your privacy? How do social networks work? From when do you become a stalker or harassed? In fact a very concrete manual, but which does not really exist elsewhere. My twiga is also an emergency button that teenagers can activate at any time to get in touch by phone with a psychologist.
And then for parents – who very often have only two alternatives to the phone of their teenagers: either ban it completely or authorize it and no longer control anything – MyTwiga represents a resource to explain to them how these social networks work. , their dangers, and the limits to be set with their children in kindness and dialogue. “Exactly like the accompanied driving model“explains Nadège Larcher, psychologist and co-founder of the start-up.” You would never leave your teenagers with the keys to your car without any training. well for social networks it’s exactly the same! ”she explains.
An app by the end of the year
For now MyTwiga, is a website, and an app only available for teenagers, but a complete app also available for parents will be released by the end of the year. For the moment, the funding is mainly private, but the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, and BPI France have already paid grants. All the resources of the site are free, but you can also in exchange for a subscription of 4.99 euros per month benefit from personalized support.
“In our mind“explains Arnaud Gheysens, father of 2 children and co-founder of the start-up”MyTwiga is a complementary tool to what already exists, such as the toll-free number set up by the National Education or conferences of psychologists “.
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