The Spanish judicial system lacks professionals with specialised training in social cybercrime, according to a UIC Barcelona study. The report, authored by Aina M. Gassó, Victòria Fernández, Irene Montiel, Carles Martin and José R. Agustina, found that there are insufficient data in Spain on phenomena such as cyberbullying and grooming at the clinical, forensic, police and judicial levels, which hinders their understanding.

“The novelty, difficulty and increasing specialisation of the cases requiring an expert opinion related to the challenges posed by ICT means that these opinions must be multidisciplinary. There is thus a vital need for expert witnesses with a strong grasp of the new technology environments, able to assess the psychological damage done, as well as the characteristics of the aggressors and victims”, the authors explain in the paper, which was published in the Revista Española de Medicina Legal.

The authors, all members of the teaching staff for UIC Barcelona’s master’s programme in Cybercrime, explain that the involvement of health and mental health professionals is crucial to establishing a diagnosis and effective treatment. They also emphasise the need for forensic science professionals, who, they argue, “must engage in continuous training to acquire in-depth knowledge of the new challenges in detail and be able to tackle them”.

The study contains specific data, such as the prevalence of sexting in Spain amongst adolescents, which is around 33.5%. The rate climbs between the ages of 14 and 17, with sexting being most frequent amongst older adolescents.

It also explains that victimisation by cyberbullying ranges from 10 to 40% of the adolescent population. “Recent studies in Spain show that the prevalence in minors aged 12 to 18 is around 30-50%, although there is an upward trend in that group”, the researchers note. 

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