B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond pauses while speaking as B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, back, listens after releasing a joint report about cyberbullying in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday November 13, 2015. They are recommending the provincial government develop a cross-ministry strategy to prevent and mitigate the effects of cyberbullying and educate children and youth on digital citizenship. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER - British Columbia urgently needs a comprehensive strategy to tackle cyberbullying, ending its current fragmented and underfunded approach, say two provincial watchdogs.

Privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham and children's representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond submitted a joint report to the legislature Friday, prompted by high-profile suicides of teenagers including 15-year-old Amanda Todd of B.C.

"These tragic cases, and many other instances of exploitation of young people, have brought the issue of cyberbullying to the forefront of public consciousness," the report said.

"The provincial government's approach to cyberbullying has initiated some dialogue on these issues, but difficult and pressing questions remain to be addressed."

Todd took her life at her Port Coquitlam home in 2012 after an explicit photo of her was shared online. The report highlights her case, as well as that of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons, who killed herself in 2013 after a picture circulated of her alleged sexual assault.

The report, which included first-hand input from youth, found the province's current approach is a patchwork system consisting mainly of a school-based strategy called ERASE Bullying (Expect Respect and a Safe Education).

The $4-million initiative introduced in 2012 includes an online tool for students to anonymously report bullying, as well as a five-year training program for educators. Turpel-Lafond praised the program but said there's no data available to assess its impact.

"It's a very small program," she said in an interview. "The number of instances of bullying that are reported are so small compared to what we actually see from our youth focus group that we know it's not effective at this point."

The report calls on the Education Ministry to develop and add learning objectives on cyberbullying to the provincial curriculum as soon as possible. The subject should also be a mandatory part of professional development for teachers, it said.

Turpel-Lafond said teaching about online safety is "hit and miss," often drawn from a range of sources.

"Fragmented would be too generous of a word. I would say it's all over the map."

A statement from the Education Ministry said it has "taken a number of actions on cyberbullying" and would build on the ERASE program to address concerns raised in the report.

The ministry said 12,000 educators and community partners have been trained through ERASE. The redesigned curriculum also includes a focus on bullying and discrimination starting in Grade 4, and teacher resources address cyberbullying.

"Bullying is bullying, whether it happens behind a computer screen or face to face," said Education Minister Mike Bernier, whose ministry will take the lead on responding to the report.

But Turpel-Lafond said cyberbullying is different in a number of ways, there's a wider audience for victimization online and that images or comments on social media can be permanent.

"I just don't think that the minister understands cyberbullying," she said. "We teach our kids in the face of bullying to walk away. Cyberbullying, you can't walk away. It follows you."

The report also called on the attorney general to develop prosecution guidelines for cyberbullying cases, while carefully balancing the harms that charges may inflict on young people's futures.

The Criminal Justice Branch, a part of the Justice Ministry, said it determines independently whether a prosecution policy is required in the public interest.

"We will certainly consider the report," said spokesman Neil MacKenzie. "The report may assist the branch in assessing whether to implement a specific policy on cyberbullying."

The report said social media companies and Internet providers bear responsibility for their users. It recommended companies develop processes and policies that facilitate the removal of private content posted without consent.

The watchdogs also want kids, teachers, parents and lawmakers educated on digital citizenship, meaning the responsible use of communication technologies online.

"The answer is not to take technology away, or to introduce invasive surveillance tools to monitor our children," Denham said in a statement. "Instead, we need to teach them how to behave online in a way that is respectful of others, and empower them to express themselves responsibly."

— Follow @ellekane on Twitter.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2015