Fighting Online Bullying, One Emoji At A Time

#IAmAWitness: Apple releases new emoji in partnership with anti-bullying campaign

The new icon — a black and white speech bubble with an eye in the centre — was released as part of the company's latest iOS 9.1 software update rolled out on Wednesday.

It is the centrepiece of the I Am A Witness campaign, which brings together heavyweights such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, to confront cyberbullying by providing children with a safe means to acknowledge and call out the mean behaviour that they commonly witness.

The idea is to encourage "the silent majority" to transform from being passive bystanders to being active advocates for change.

"90% of teens ages 12-17 who have witnessed some form of online cruelty say they have ignored mean behaviour on social media, and more than a third have done this frequently," the campaign's website states.

"Now, taking a stand against [bullying] and showing support to someone in need can be as easy as a stroke of the keyboard." Click here for more of the story