In the wake of Gen Z influencer Emman Atienza’s passing, her legacy as an advocate for self-awareness and mental health has reignited the conversation about cyberbullying and the unseen toll it takes.
It reminded everyone that the battle against cyberbullying is fought in the conscience of each person—where every comment and reaction leaves an impact, some rippling quietly, others crashing like an avalanche.
Many celebrities have learned this the hard and painful way.
They stood in the line of fire, were mocked and deliberately misunderstood, and often vilified for simply speaking their truth.
Here are the voices that transformed their pain into advocacy.
Read: In social media, why is kindness so hard to come by?
Emman Atienza
Months before her death, Emman, who was 18 at the time, opened up on Toni Talks about the price of growing up online and surviving the darkest corners of digital cruelty.
She revealed that, at 13, she was cyberbullied after being sexually exploited when her crush circulated her private photos to a group chat of 50 boys.
“They called me names—slut, whore, crazy, wild—and I believed them,” she told host Toni Gonzaga.
“If this is what I am, then that’s what I’ll be.”
For years, she lived under that false label, until therapy helped her name the abuse and reclaim her identity.
“When that idea [of dying] came into my head, I stopped myself. I told myself, You are so worth it. You’ve worked so hard to get here.”
Her recovery became the root of her advocacy.
On social media, she spoke often about protecting mental health and breaking the cycle of shame.
“Love is the only thing stronger than hate,” she said.
Once more, in her last Threads post dated September 1, 2025, Emman revealed how even her creative passion was fading under the weight of constant criticism.
“Every time I post, I feel excited but also anxious and dreadful knowing there’s going to be some hate I’ll have to force myself to ignore…
“My main compensation was always the joy and passion I felt when posting—which has been fading.”
Read: Emman Atienza’s past post on mental health resurfaces online
Catriona Gray
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has been vocal about using social media responsibly—a message she amplified when she supported the Miss Universe Organization’s anti-cyberbullying campaign in 2020.
Sharing the video on her Instagram Stories, Catriona echoed the call for kindness online, drawing from her own experience as a target of online hate.
“So many use social media as a consequence-free way to attack, put down, and degrade others,” she said.
“It started during my Binibini journey and escalated during my Miss Universe journey. I receive hate comments even today.”
Catriona emphasized that expressing an opinion should never come at the cost of another person’s dignity.
“It is never okay to degrade or harass someone in the name of sharing your opinion,” she stressed.
“Words have power—to both put down and pull up. I hope we choose the latter.”
Read: Catriona Gray stands with Miss Universe 2020 candidates against cyberbullying
Kathryn Bernardo
Kapamilya actress Kathryn Bernardo first took a stand against cyberbullying during the Philippine Red Cross’s launch of its Fight Cyberbullying campaign in November 2017.
She recalled campaigning for Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas during the 2016 elections, whereupon she received lots of hate.
“Dumating ako sa point na nagkulong ako sa kuwarto, hindi ako kumakausap ng kahit sino.
“As in, sobrang na-depress ako… sobra-sobra ang na-receive naming pamba-bash sa lahat ng tao nung time na yun.”
Speaking up, she said: “Kapag naisip mo, hindi enough na you keep quiet.
“Kasi yung iba naiisip nila, ‘A, okey pala, wala naman siyang masabi or something.'
“Akala nila tama ang ginagawa nila, kaya dito pumasok ang anti-cyberbullying, we have to make a stand.
“Kasi kapag nabu-bully ka, hindi lang nasisira ang araw mo…nagli-lead into depression, especially sa mga teenagers.”
Kathryn then cited statistics at the time: “Thirteen to seventeen years old, eighty percent dito sa Philippines, naka-experience siya ng cyberbullying.
“Ganun kalaki… na-experience yun. Kung may maipapayo ako sa lahat, take a stand and join us in our campaign para makapag-create tayo ng noise.
“Para yung gusto nating maisabatas…tayong mga kabataan, tayo ang magsimula. Kailangan nating mag-create ng noise.”
Read: Kathryn Bernardo makes a stand against cyberbullying
Kim Chiu
In 2020, Kim Chiu wrote a call for compassion amid news of Terrace House star Hana Kimura's passing.
She began (published as is): “Last night as I was about to sleep, saw the sad news about #terracehousejapan #hanakimura.
“I don't know her personally shempre but nanood lang ako ng show on Netflix. I was so hooked on her character then I searched her IG then I saw #RIPHanakimura
“she took her own life because of the hurtful words that people throw at her.”
Kim left a reminder: “We are in a world of social media where we can talk to everyone as if we are just neighbors kahit na miles away tayong lahat.
“This technology intertwines us. Let us use this in a positive way, use this for us to be one, supporting one another, uplifting each other, being kind to people,
“KIND enough to accept someone's flaws, KIND enough to forgive. KIND enough to just be there enjoying this kind of technology that we have right now. Wag natin abusuhin.”
The post was ironic in its timing: even as she spoke out against cyberbullying, Kim herself was mocked in the comments section.
One netizen ridiculed her grammar and intelligence, but Kim stayed calm, replying, “Feel free to unfollow. Be kind.”
Kim capped her post with the hashtag: #NoToCyberbully.
Read: Kim Chiu affected by Terrace House star's death; asks for kindness amid cyberbullying
Regine Velasquez
When Regine Velasquez moved from GMA-7 to ABS-CBN, she became the target of online hate and personal attacks.
Rather than filing cases, Asia’s Songbird focused on finding ways to make reporting online abuse more accessible to everyone.
“But I am doing something, I’m talking to some people how to make… alam mo yung to make complaining easier for all of us?
“Kumbaga, parang pareho din, pag gusto mong magreklamo pupunta ka ng NBI, pero ito, you just go to their [website] link and you put everything in there.
"Kasi there’s a cyber law naman, e, meron namang existing na cyber law," said Regine, referring to Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
“But you know what’s funny pa? What’s not right actually is people are actually laughing at this law, they’re laughing at it, and it’s sad.
“There’s a reason why it was there, you know, and I felt really sad that they’re mocking the law and they were laughing about it, and so I thought maybe really we should do something about it.
"It’s not enough anymore that we just… kumbaga, yung gagawa tayo ng awareness about cybercrime, it’s not enough, there has to be another way.
"And feeling ko sa generation natin, magtutulung-tulong tayo, puwede nating magawa ito.
"We could actually make a difference. "
She added that her advocacy was also inspired by her daughter Leila Alcasid, who had experienced bullying online.
“And I’m doing this for my children, yung daughter ko nga is also a victim of bullying, e, so at least man lang masabi ko sa sarili ko na may ginawa ako.
“So ayun lang, I’m trying to do something, hopefully something will come out of it.”
Read: Regine Velasquez to take action against cyberbullying
Yasmien Kurdi
Actress-mother Yasmien Kurdi didn’t stay silent when her daughter, Ayesha, became a target of peer and online harassment.
The young girl was reportedly surrounded by classmates, blocked from leaving the classroom, denied food, and later found a cut-up photo of herself on her desk.
“My daughter recently experienced bullying… They even made an online ‘Ayesha Hate Club’ group. But as a mother, I will fight for her because I love her.”
When Yasmien approached the school, she said: “Bullies are everywhere. The question is, will the school do something about this?”
In response to the incident and the trauma endured by her daughter, she pulled Ayesha out of her previous school, and enrolled her in a homeschooling program.
Yasmien also initiated discussions with the Department of Education on how to make reporting cases of cyberbullying and peer harassment easier for families.
Read: Yasmien Kurdi narrates how her daughter experienced cyberbullying
Angelika dela Cruz
As both an actress and a barangay captain in Malabon, Angelika Dela Cruz has seen the cruelty of online bullying from two fronts—on social media and within her own community.
The Ika-6 Na Utos star once shared that she was told to “die” by an online troll on Facebook. True to her outspoken nature, she clapped back:
“Mauna ka! Bakit ako? Ikaw ang mamatay! Gago ka ba?”
After posting a screenshot of the exchange, other users came to her defense, and the basher fell silent.
Looking back, Angelika admitted that though it’s better not to engage, sometimes emotions get the best of you.
“Minsan kasi, pag natiyempuhan kang bad trip ka o may dysmenorrhea ka, tapos mababasa mo ‘Mamatay ka na!’—syempre mapapatol ka!”
Beyond her celebrity life, Angelika has turned her frustration into advocacy.
As a barangay leader, she works closely with Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children (BCPC), helping handle school-related bullying cases, many of which happen online.
“Marami, mahabang proseso, e. Delicate kasi pag underage yung mga inaano.
“Pero ako madalas akong magpa-seminar sa mga bata.
“Para ipaintindi sa kanila na you have a responsibility, hindi ka puwedeng click ka nang click. Dapat nagti-think ka rin, di ba?”
Read: Angelika dela Cruz takes firm stand against bullying
Andi Eigenmann
Back in 2017, actress Andi Eigenmann took to Twitter to speak up against online hate after facing a wave of criticism over a parenting post involving her young daughter.
In a powerful all-caps tweet, she declared:
“NO TO CYBER BULLYING.”
She followed it with a quote from former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama that reflected her philosophy on handling hate: “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. When they go low, you go high.”
Andi added a personal note that struck a chord with those who had judged her without context: “You may have heard what I’ve done, but not what I have been through.”
Her posts came after she defended her daughter from people who “sexualized” a photo and accused her of being a “bad mother” for teaching the child to embrace femininity.
Even after deleting the original post, Andi stood firm against online shaming.
Read: Andi Eigenmann takes a stand against cyberbullying
Kapuso stars
In the first quarter of 2018, GMA Network’s Heart Over Hate campaign was launched in an effort to foster a social media landscape grounded in encouragement, kindness, and responsibility.
Several Kapuso stars united to express their stance against cyberbullying in a video that enlightened netizens about the consequences of social media misuse, and the positive effects that uplifting online exchanges can bring.
The roster of stars featured Marian Rivera, Alden Richards, Kylie Padilla, Ruru Madrid, Kris Bernal, Bea Binene, Ken Chan, Julie Anne San Jose, Glaiza de Castro, Andrea Torres, Louise delos Reyes, Miguel Tanfelix, Bianca Umali, Ashley Ortega, Mikee Quintos, Derrick Monasterio, Martin del Rosario, Phytos Ramirez, and Andre Paras.
Liz Uy
On Novermber 9, 2015, Liz Uy began a #StopTheHate campaign through a photo bearing the hashtag on an Instagram account.
The post was published after the filing of a PHP11-million worth of online libel and grave slander complaints against a blogger.
“As a former fashion editor, I was trained to uphold FAIR and RESPONSIBLE journalism at all times.
"When I transitioned into celebrity styling and accidentally became a public figure myself, I learned to embrace that being scrutinized by the public is part and parcel of that position.
"However, sometimes things can be taken too far and place me in a bad light, discrediting my hard work, my team, and my styling company. I am not the first victim—many others have chosen to remain silent.
"I could have done the same, but in the end, I realized that if we always let him get away with cyber bullying, then he will continue to propagate untruthful claims and malicious gossip on his blog and social media accounts.
"Thank you to everyone who has expressed their support. I am fighting this battle not just for myself, but for every single person—celebrity and otherwise—who has been bashed relentlessly and unfairly. #StopTheHate"
Celebrities who clamored for the end of cyberbullying using the hashtag include: Bea Alonzo, Heart Evangelista, Nadine Lustre, James Reid, KC Concepcion, Solenn Heussaff, Paulo Avelino, Mark Bautista, Raymond Gutierrez, Isabelle Daza, and Georgina Wilson.
Read: Celebrities speak up against cyberbullying by posting #StopTheHate messages
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