Cyberbullying Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

250 Cyberbullying Statistics for 2026

There is no single cyberbullying rate. In the United States, 16% of high school students told the CDC in 2023 that they had been electronically bullied in the past 12 months, while about 58% of students aged 13 to 17 in the Cyberbullying Research Center's May 2025 survey said they had been cyberbullied at some point in their lives. The two figures use different definitions, age groups and time frames, and each is correct for what it measures.

This page gathers figures from official surveys, regulators, peer-reviewed studies and organisations' own surveys for the US, the UK, the EU, Canada, Australia and multi-country studies. Every figure names its producer, country, age group and time frame: ever, the past 12 months, the past 30 days or the school year.

Figures on different time frames or age groups are never added or averaged here. Complaint and report counts from regulators, police and platforms show how many reports were made, not how many children were affected. Links between bullying and mental health are stated as the producers word them, as associations found in surveys.

Headline figures

How many US teens are cyberbullied?

It depends on the question asked. Past-year measures from federal surveys sit far below lifetime measures from surveys that list several behaviours, so each figure below carries its own time frame.

15% 2013 16% 2015 15% 2017 16% 2019 16% 2021 16% 2023
View data table
Share of US high school students (grades 9-12) who were electronically bullied in the past 12 months. Every survey since 2013 has returned 15% or 16%.
PeriodValue
201315%
201516%
201715%
201916%
202116%
202316%
Share of US high school students (grades 9-12) who were electronically bullied in the past 12 months. Every survey since 2013 has returned 15% or 16%. (CDC (YRBS 2023, electronic bullying), Aug 2024)

CDC asks one question about the past 12 months. Pew and the Cyberbullying Research Center ask about several behaviours over a lifetime, which gives higher figures. The school figures are principals' reports, not students' answers. These measures are not comparable and are not averaged here.

How much bullying at US schools happens online?

Most of it still happens face to face. Among bullied students, in-person bullying alone is far more common than online bullying alone, and younger grades report more bullying than older ones.

  • In person only 78.3%
  • Both 13.8%
  • Online or by text only 7.9%
How US students aged 12-18 who were bullied during school in 2021-22 were bullied. The three groups together make up all bullied students. (NCES (School Crime Supplement 2022), 2024)
  • About 19% of US students aged 12-18 reported being bullied during school in school year 2021-22, lower than the 28% who reported this in 2010-11. (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • Among US students aged 12-18 who were bullied during school in 2021-22, 78.3% were bullied in person only, 7.9% online or by text only and 13.8% both. (NCES (School Crime Supplement 2022), 2024)
  • Bullying during school was reported by 27% of 6th-graders, 26% of 7th-graders and 25% of 8th-graders, against 18%, 16%, 10% and 15% of 9th- to 12th-graders (US, 2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 24% of US students at schools in rural areas and 23% at schools in towns reported being bullied during school, compared with 19% in cities and 17% in suburban areas (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 20% of US public school students aged 12-18 reported being bullied during school, compared with 15% of private school students (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • Being the subject of rumours was reported by 13% of US students aged 12-18, and being made fun of, called names or insulted by 12% (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 5% of US students aged 12-18 reported being pushed, shoved, tripped or spit on, 4% being excluded from activities on purpose, 3% being threatened with harm and 3% having others share their private information, photos or videos on purpose (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 19% of US high school students were bullied on school property during the past 12 months (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, bullying at school), Aug 2024)
  • The share of US high school students bullied on school property was 20% in 2013, 2015 and 2019 and 15% in 2021; CDC says the data may have been affected by fewer students being in school during the pandemic. (CDC (YRBS 2023, bullying at school), Aug 2024)
  • 38.4% of US teenagers aged 12-14 were bullied in the last 12 months, compared with 29.7% of those aged 15-17, counting bullying of any kind (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • The share of US public schools reporting bullying among students at least once a week fell from 23% in 2009-10 to 15% in 2019-20, as reported by principals. (NCES (School Survey on Crime and Safety 2019-20), May 2022)

NCES counts bullying "during school", which includes the journey to and from school and use of the phone, internet or social media. It changed the wording from "at school" in 2021-22 and cautions against comparing with earlier years. CDC asks high school students about school property; NCHS asks 12-17 year olds about bullying of any kind.

What forms does cyberbullying take?

Name-calling, exclusion from group chats and rumours come up in every survey. The lists differ by producer, so shares can only be compared within one survey.

  1. 1 Offensive name-calling 32%
  2. 2 False rumours spread about them 22%
  3. 3 Sent explicit images they did not ask for 17%
  4. 4 Constantly asked where they are 15%
  5. 5 Physical threats 10%
  6. 6 Explicit images of them shared 7%
Share of US teens aged 13-17 who have ever experienced each of the six behaviours Pew asked about in 2022. A teen can report more than one. (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • The forms reported most often for the previous 30 days in the Cyberbullying Research Center's May 2025 survey of US students aged 13-17 were being excluded from a text or group chat (32.5%) and mean or hurtful comments posted online (31.6%). (Cyberbullying Research Center (2025 survey), Jun 2025)
  • Being embarrassed or humiliated online (31.3%) and rumours spread online (29.2%) followed in the same 2025 survey. (Cyberbullying Research Center (2025 survey), Jun 2025)
  • 32% of US teens aged 13-17 say they have been called an offensive name online or on their cellphone, and 22% have had false rumours spread about them online (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 17% of US teens aged 13-17 have been sent explicit images they did not ask for, and 7% have had explicit images of them shared without their consent (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 15% of US teens say someone other than a parent has constantly asked where they are, what they are doing or who they are with, and 10% say they have been physically threatened (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 38% of Australian children aged 10-17 had someone say hurtful things to them online at some point and 35% were purposely left out of an online activity (23% each in the past 12 months). (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 25% of Australian children aged 10-17 had humiliating or hurtful things said about them online at some point and 18% had humiliating or hurtful lies spread about them (14% and 9% in the past 12 months). (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 17% of Australian children aged 10-17 had their private messages, information or secrets shared at some point, 16% were sent or tagged in offensive or upsetting photos or videos and 11% had humiliating or hurtful photos or videos of them shared online. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 8% of Australian children aged 10-17 had someone share their phone number, email or home address online at some point, and 7% had a fake online identity or profile made of them without their permission. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • In Canada, 16% of youth aged 12-17 were threatened or insulted online or by text message in the previous year, 13% were excluded from an online community and 9% had hurtful information about them posted on the internet (2019). (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)
  • 45.0% of children aged 10-15 in England and Wales who experienced online bullying behaviours said they would describe them as bullying, compared with 33.4% of those who experienced in-person behaviours (year ending March 2023). (ONS (Crime Survey, children aged 10-15), Mar 2024)
  • 32% of Australian children who had been cyberbullied said the person responsible for their most recent experience had targeted them in the same or a similar way more than once. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 36% of Australian children most recently cyberbullied by someone known in real life said the person was also doing things like this to them in real life. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)

Pew counts six behaviours ever experienced by US teens. eSafety lists a longer set of behaviours for Australian children. Statistics Canada reports forms for the previous year. A child can report more than one form in each survey, so shares do not add up to a total.

Where does cyberbullying happen?

Mostly on the apps and games children already use with people they know. Group chats, messaging apps and online games appear beside the large social networks in each list.

  1. 1 Snapchat 21%
  2. 2 Online video games 20%
  3. 3 Messenger Kids 13%
  4. 4 Instagram 8%
  5. 5 Facebook 7%
  6. 6 Discord 6%
  7. 7 Text messages 5%
Where Australian children aged 10-17 said their most recent cyberbullying experience took place (survey December 2024 to February 2025). The shares show where children spend time, not a risk rate per platform. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 39% of Australian children who had been cyberbullied said their most recent experience occurred in an online group chat, and 27% were targeted in a message, text, email or call from one person (December 2024 to February 2025). (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • Australian children's most recent cyberbullying experiences occurred on Snapchat (21%), in online video games (20%) and on Messenger Kids (13%), with Instagram at 8%, Facebook 7%, Discord 6% and text messages 5%. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • In Canada, the top places young people aged 9-17 experienced online meanness and cruelty were online gaming (41%), text or private message (37%) and posts and comments on social media (26%) (survey autumn 2021). (MediaSmarts (Young Canadians in a Wireless World), Feb 2023)
  • Among US teens aged 13-17 who were harassed online, 61% experienced it on Facebook and 39% on Instagram, against 53% and 48% the year before (ADL's own survey, 2024). (ADL (Online Hate and Harassment 2024), Jun 2024)
  • 76% of adult players aged 18-45 and 75% of teens aged 10-17 in online multiplayer games reported experiencing any harassment in online games in 2023 (US, ADL's own survey). (ADL (online gaming research), Jan 2025)
  • Hate and harassment was recorded in almost half of the online multiplayer game sessions that ADL tested with identity-based usernames (US, 2023-2024). (ADL (online gaming research), Jan 2025)
  • Almost three-quarters of young people aged 13-24 in a 30-country UNICEF poll said social networks are the most common place for online bullying (opt-in poll, June 2019). (UNICEF (U-Report poll), Sep 2019)
  • 65% of parents across 28 countries who knew of a child who had been cyberbullied said it took place on social networking sites (Ipsos online survey, 2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)
  • Snapchat took 553,294 enforcement actions for harassment and bullying against 458,595 unique accounts worldwide between January and June 2026, out of 13,180,169 total enforcements (Snap's own data). (Snap (transparency report H1 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Snap put the violative view rate for harassment and bullying on Snapchat at 0.00049% for January to June 2026. (Snap (transparency report H1 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Snapchat received 4,933,173 reports of harassment and bullying worldwide between January and June 2026 and enforced 547,149 of them. (Snap (transparency report H1 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Between July and December 2025, Snapchat received 4,538,512 reports of harassment and bullying and enforced 622,465. (Snap (transparency report H2 2025), Jun 2026)

Platform shares come from different countries, ages and years and are not ranked against each other. Snap's figures are enforcement actions and in-app reports on its own service, not incidents or children affected.

Who carries out cyberbullying?

  • 75% of Australian children who had been cyberbullied said their most recent experience was carried out by someone known in real life, most commonly a friend (62%); 18% said it was someone they did not know in real life. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 52% of cyberbullied Australian children said the person responsible was a teenager aged 13-17, 38% a child aged 12 or younger and 4% an adult (December 2024 to February 2025). (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 24.5% of US students aged 13-17 said they had cyberbullied others at some point in their lifetimes and 16.1% in the most recent 30 days (May 2025). (Cyberbullying Research Center (2025 survey), Jun 2025)
  • About 12% (1 in 8) of adolescents in the HBSC study report cyberbullying others: 14% of boys and 9% of girls, up from 11% and 7% in 2018. (WHO Europe (HBSC 2021/22), Mar 2024)
  • An average of 6% of adolescents in the HBSC study bully others at school: 8% of boys and 5% of girls (2021/22). (WHO Europe (HBSC 2021/22), Mar 2024)
  • 51% of parents across 28 countries who knew of a cyberbullying case said it was done by a classmate (Ipsos online survey, 2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)
  • 17% of young Canadians aged 9-17 said they had engaged in online meanness and cruelty, and 49% had witnessed it (autumn 2021). (MediaSmarts (Young Canadians in a Wireless World), Feb 2023)
  • Across 19 European countries, the share of children aged 9-16 who said they had treated someone else in a hurtful or nasty way in the past year, online or offline, ranged from 3% (Slovakia) to 38% (Poland) (data collected 2017-19). (EU Kids Online (2020 report), 2020)

Are girls or boys cyberbullied more?

The surveys disagree. US federal surveys, the ONS and Australia's eSafety survey find higher rates for girls, while the Cyberbullying Research Center's 2025 survey found higher rates for boys. Each result is given as measured.

These surveys differ in definition, age group, time frame and sample, and they do not agree on the direction of the gap. The Cyberbullying Research Center page does not print a time frame beside its 2025 figures for boys and girls. This page does not rule between the surveys.

Which groups of young people report more bullying?

LGBTQ+ young people and young people with a disability report higher rates in each survey that asks. Results by race and ethnicity vary by survey and are shown with each producer's own group names.

  1. 1 White 20%
  2. 2 Multiracial 18%
  3. 3 American Indian or Alaska Native 15%
  4. 4 Hispanic 14%
  5. 5 Asian 13%
  6. 6 Black 11%
  7. 7 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 4%
Share of US high school students electronically bullied in the past 12 months, by race and ethnicity, with CDC's own group names (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, electronic bullying), Aug 2024)
  • 25% of LGBTQ+ US high school students were electronically bullied in the past 12 months, compared with 13% of cisgender and heterosexual students (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, electronic bullying), Aug 2024)
  • By race and ethnicity, 20% of White, 18% of Multiracial, 15% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 14% of Hispanic, 13% of Asian, 11% of Black and 4% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander US high school students were electronically bullied in the past 12 months (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, electronic bullying), Aug 2024)
  • 29% of LGBTQ+ US high school students were bullied on school property in the past 12 months, compared with 16% of cisgender and heterosexual students (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, bullying at school), Aug 2024)
  • Bullying on school property in the past 12 months was reported by 23% of White, 21% of Multiracial, 17% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 16% of Hispanic, 14% of Black, 11% of Asian and 6% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander US high school students (2023). (CDC (YRBS 2023, bullying at school), Aug 2024)
  • 47.1% of sexual or gender minority teenagers aged 12-17 in the US were bullied in the last 12 months, compared with 30.0% of teenagers who are not a sexual or gender minority (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • 44.4% of US teenagers aged 12-17 with a developmental disability were bullied in the last 12 months, compared with 31.3% of those without one (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • By race and Hispanic origin, 39.6% of White non-Hispanic, 26.7% of Hispanic, 23.8% of Black non-Hispanic and 16.1% of Asian non-Hispanic US teenagers aged 12-17 were bullied in the last 12 months (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • Bullying during school was reported by 30% of US students aged 12-18 of Two or more races, 22% of White, 17% of Black, 16% of Hispanic and 9% of Asian students (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 35% of LGBTQ+ young people aged 13-17 in the US reported being electronically bullied in the past year, as did 24% of those aged 18-24 (The Trevor Project's own survey, fielded September to December 2023). (The Trevor Project (2024 survey), 2024)
  • 49% of LGBTQ+ young people aged 13-17 in the US reported being bullied in person within the past year, compared with 26% of those aged 18-24 (2023 fieldwork). (The Trevor Project (2024 survey), 2024)
  • In Canada, 52% of non-binary youth aged 12-17 were cyberbullied in the previous year, as were 34% of First Nations youth living off reserve and 27% of youth with an education accommodation (2019). (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)
  • 33% of same-gender attracted youth aged 15-17 in Canada were cyberbullied in the previous year (2019). (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)
  • 81% of trans and gender-diverse children and 74% of sexually diverse teens in Australia had experienced cyberbullying at some point (69% and 60% in the past 12 months); eSafety cautions that the sample of trans and gender-diverse children is small. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 67% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and 63% of children with disability in Australia had experienced cyberbullying at some point (50% and 47% in the past 12 months). (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)

CDC, NCHS, NCES, The Trevor Project, Statistics Canada and eSafety use different group definitions, ages and time frames. The Trevor Project recruits through social media adverts and its survey is not a probability sample.

What do bullied young people think the bullying was about?

  • 15% of all US teens aged 13-17 think they were cyberbullied because of their appearance, 10% because of their gender and 9% because of their race or ethnicity; 5% each cite their sexual orientation or their political views (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 21% of Black teens in the US report being made a target online because of their race or ethnicity, compared with 11% of Hispanic teens and 4% of White teens (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • Among US students aged 12-18 bullied during school, 33% reported that the bullying was related to their appearance, 13% to their race and 10% to their disability (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • 9% each of bullied US students aged 12-18 reported that the bullying was related to their ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, and 6% to their religion (2021-22). (NCES (Condition of Education, bullying at school), Jul 2024)
  • Among year 7 to 13 pupils in England who had been bullied online, the most common reason given was the way they looked (37%), followed by a disability or special educational need (12%) and their sexual orientation (10%) (May 2025; the report advises caution because few pupils answered). (Department for Education (National behaviour survey), Nov 2025)
  • 8% of those pupils in England gave their sex as the reason for online bullying, 8% their race or ethnicity, 5% their religion or belief and 4% their nationality; 27% did not know the reason (May 2025). (Department for Education (National behaviour survey), Nov 2025)
  • 27% of Australian children aged 10-17 had personally experienced online hate at some point and 15% in the past 12 months (December 2024 to February 2025). (eSafety Commissioner (online hate snapshot), Jun 2026)
  • 11% of Australian children aged 10-17 had at some point been targeted online because of their skin colour, race or culture, 10% because of the country they came from and 8% because of their religion. (eSafety Commissioner (online hate snapshot), Jun 2026)
  • 74% of trans and gender-diverse children, 60% of sexually diverse teens and 50% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in Australia had personally experienced online hate at some point (46%, 32% and 29% in the past 12 months). (eSafety Commissioner (online hate snapshot), Jun 2026)
  • 43% of Australian children with disability and 32% of children from non-English speaking backgrounds had personally experienced online hate at some point (23% and 17% in the past 12 months). (eSafety Commissioner (online hate snapshot), Jun 2026)

These are the reasons young people gave themselves, and each survey lets them give more than one. eSafety measures online hate separately from cyberbullying; the two are not added together.

How is cyberbullying linked to mental health?

Surveys find that bullied young people report more anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts than those who are not bullied. These are associations in cross-sectional data and do not show that bullying caused the outcomes.

  1. 1 Anxiety symptoms, bullied 29.8%
  2. 2 Anxiety symptoms, not bullied 14.5%
  3. 3 Depression symptoms, bullied 28.5%
  4. 4 Depression symptoms, not bullied 12.1%
Share of US teenagers aged 12-17 with symptoms of anxiety or depression in the last 2 weeks, by whether they were bullied in the past 12 months (July 2021 to December 2023). The survey shows an association, not a cause. (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • US teenagers aged 12-17 who were bullied in the past 12 months were more likely than those who were not to have symptoms of anxiety in the last 2 weeks (29.8% vs 14.5%) (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • Symptoms of depression in the last 2 weeks were reported by 28.5% of US teenagers aged 12-17 who were bullied, compared with 12.1% of those who were not (July 2021 to December 2023). (NCHS (Data Brief 514), Oct 2024)
  • Among 10,414 US adolescents aged 10-13, 8.9% reported experiencing cyberbullying (data collected July 2018 to January 2021). (JAMA Network Open (Arnon et al.), Jun 2022)
  • The same study reported an association between experiencing cyberbullying and suicidality (odds ratio 4.2 controlling for demographics; 1.7 controlling for all covariates, including offline peer aggression). (JAMA Network Open (Arnon et al.), Jun 2022)
  • A systematic review covering 156,384 children and young people found that those who had experienced cybervictimisation were 2.35 times as likely to self-harm as non-victims (studies published 1996 to February 2017). (Journal of Medical Internet Research (John et al.), Apr 2018)
  • The same review found that those who had experienced cybervictimisation were 2.15 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-victims; it pools studies that describe association, not cause. (Journal of Medical Internet Research (John et al.), Apr 2018)
  • In The Trevor Project's own survey, LGBTQ+ young people in the US who experienced in-person or electronic bullying reported a past-year suicide attempt rate of 18%, compared with 6% among those who were not bullied (2023 fieldwork; an association in a non-probability sample). (The Trevor Project (2024 survey), 2024)
  • 22.7% of children aged 10-15 in England and Wales who had experienced an online bullying behaviour said they were emotionally affected "a lot", compared with 18.3% of those who had experienced an in-person behaviour (year ending March 2023). (ONS (Crime Survey, children aged 10-15), Mar 2024)
  • 81% of Australian children who had been cyberbullied reported feeling at least one negative emotion after their most recent experience, and 43% felt annoyed, frustrated or angry. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • 48% of Australian children who had been cyberbullied reported at least one difficulty after their most recent experience. (eSafety Commissioner (cyberbullying snapshot), Sep 2026)
  • Children who are frequently bullied are nearly three times more likely to feel like an outsider at school and more than twice as likely to miss school as those who are not frequently bullied (global, 2019 report; bullying of any kind). (UNESCO (Behind the numbers), Jan 2019)
  • One in five young people aged 13-24 in a 30-country UNICEF poll reported having skipped school due to cyberbullying and violence (opt-in poll, June 2019). (UNICEF (U-Report poll), Sep 2019)

Every figure in this section is an association. None of these studies shows cause and effect. The NCHS and UNESCO figures cover bullying of any kind, online or in person.

Do bullied children tell an adult?

In the official survey for England and Wales, more than half told a parent and a sizeable minority told no one. US teens rate parents well above social media sites and elected officials on dealing with online bullying.

  1. 1 Parents 66%
  2. 2 Teachers 40%
  3. 3 Law enforcement 37%
  4. 4 Social media sites 25%
  5. 5 Elected officials 18%
Share of US teens aged 13-17 who say each group is doing a good or excellent job of addressing online harassment and bullying (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 56.3% of children aged 10-15 in England and Wales who experienced an online bullying behaviour told a parent or guardian, as did 58.8% of those who experienced an in-person behaviour (year ending March 2023). (ONS (Crime Survey, children aged 10-15), Mar 2024)
  • 18.1% of children aged 10-15 in England and Wales who experienced an online bullying behaviour did not tell anyone, compared with 14.7% of those who experienced an in-person behaviour (year ending March 2023). (ONS (Crime Survey, children aged 10-15), Mar 2024)
  • 72% of teens aged 13-17 surveyed in 15 countries talked to someone after experiencing an online risk (Microsoft's own survey, summer 2025). (Microsoft (Global Online Safety Survey), Feb 2026)
  • In Canada, 22% of youth aged 12-17 whose parents were always or often aware of their online activity were cyberbullied in the previous year, compared with 29% of those whose parents were sometimes or never aware (2019). (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)
  • 59% of US teens aged 13-17 worried about being harassed, threatened or otherwise targeted online in the future (ADL's own survey, 2024). (ADL (Online Hate and Harassment 2024), Jun 2024)
  • 53% of US teens aged 13-17 say online harassment and online bullying are a major problem for people their age (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)
  • 70% of Black teens and 62% of Hispanic teens in the US say online harassment and bullying are a major problem for people their age (2022). (Pew Research Center (Teens and Cyberbullying 2022), Dec 2022)

The ONS figures are for children who experienced a bullying behaviour in the past 12 months. The Pew and UNICEF figures are opinions; the Statistics Canada figure is an association and does not show that parental awareness changes the rate.

Who do teens think is doing a good job on online bullying?

How common is cyberbullying worldwide?

No global rate exists. The widest studies cover groups of countries with different age bands and questions, and several are opt-in polls or parents' reports.

12% Boys 2018 15% Boys 2021/22 13% Girls 2018 16% Girls 2021/22
View data table
Share of adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 who have experienced cyberbullying in the HBSC study, 2018 and 2021/22, across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada.
PeriodValue
Boys 201812%
Boys 2021/2215%
Girls 201813%
Girls 2021/2216%
Share of adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 who have experienced cyberbullying in the HBSC study, 2018 and 2021/22, across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada. (WHO Europe (HBSC 2021/22), Mar 2024)
  • The 2018 HBSC survey put the share of adolescents who had experienced cyberbullying at 12% of boys and 13% of girls, below the 2021/22 levels (44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada). (WHO Europe (HBSC 2021/22), Mar 2024)
  • Approximately 11% of adolescents in the HBSC study have been bullied at school (2021/22). (WHO Europe (HBSC 2021/22), Mar 2024)
  • Among teens aged 13-17 surveyed in 15 countries, 35% had experienced hate speech, 29% scams and 23% cyberbullying online (Microsoft's own survey, summer 2025). (Microsoft (Global Online Safety Survey), Feb 2026)
  • One in three young people in 30 countries said they had been a victim of online bullying, in a UNICEF poll of more than 170,000 respondents aged 13-24 (opt-in poll, June 2019; not a representative sample). (UNICEF (U-Report poll), Sep 2019)
  • Almost one in three students (32%) has been bullied by their peers at school at least once in the last month, in UNESCO data covering 144 countries and territories (2019 report; bullying of any kind). (UNESCO (Behind the numbers), Jan 2019)
  • Bullying had decreased in almost half of the 71 countries and territories UNESCO studied for trends (2019 report). (UNESCO (Behind the numbers), Jan 2019)
  • 17% of parents across 28 countries said their own child had experienced cyberbullying (Ipsos online survey, March-April 2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)
  • 33% of parents across 28 countries reported knowing a child in their community who had been cyberbullied, up from 26% in 2011 (Ipsos, 2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)
  • In the United States, 27% of parents said their child had been cyberbullied, up from 15% in 2011 (Ipsos, 2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)
  • 75% of adults across 28 countries were aware of cyberbullying; awareness was highest in Sweden and Italy (91% each) and lowest in Saudi Arabia (37%) among the countries Ipsos surveyed (2018). (Ipsos (Global Advisor), Jun 2018)

HBSC covers 44 countries and regions and is not a global figure; the WHO release does not print the time frame of the question. The UNICEF poll is opt-in, the Ipsos figures are reported by adults in an online panel, and the UNESCO figure covers all bullying at school.

How common is online bullying in Europe?

  • Across 19 European countries, monthly online bullying victimisation among children aged 9-16 ranged from 1% (Slovakia) to 13% (Poland), with an average of 5% (data collected 2017-19). (EU Kids Online (2020 report), 2020)
  • Monthly offline bullying victimisation in the same 19 countries ranged from 2% (Slovakia) to 13% (Malta), with an average of 7% (data collected 2017-19). (EU Kids Online (2020 report), 2020)
  • The share of children aged 9-16 who said someone had treated them in a hurtful or nasty way in the past year, online or offline, ranged from 7% (Slovakia) to 40% (Poland) across the 19 countries (data collected 2017-19). (EU Kids Online (2020 report), 2020)
  • 53.7% of EU internet users aged 16-24 and 54.0% of those aged 25-34 encountered online messages they considered hostile or degrading towards groups of people or individuals in 2025. (Eurostat (hostile messages online, by age), Jun 2026)
  • The share who encountered such messages falls to 28.1% among EU internet users aged 65-74 (2025). (Eurostat (hostile messages online, by age), Jun 2026)
  • Among EU internet users aged 16-24, 57.2% of young women and 50.4% of young men encountered hostile messages online (2025). (Eurostat (hostile messages online, by age), Jun 2026)
  • 42.3% of internet users in the EU encountered messages online that they considered hostile and degrading towards specific groups of people or individuals in 2025. (Eurostat (hostile messages online, by country), May 2026)
  • The highest shares were recorded in Ireland (66.2%), Hungary (60.9%), Finland (56.7%) and Slovakia (56.2%), and the lowest in Latvia (29.3%), Greece (29.4%), Germany (33.7%) and Lithuania (33.8%) (2025). (Eurostat (hostile messages online, by country), May 2026)

Eurostat measures seeing hostile or degrading messages, not being targeted, so it is not a victimisation rate. EU Kids Online counts bullying only when it happens at least every month, which gives lower figures than surveys asking about any experience.

How common is cyberbullying in the UK?

Official figures for England and Wales show online bullying behaviours reaching fewer children than in-person ones. In England's school survey, older pupils report less bullying than younger pupils.

25% KS3 Years 7-9 19% KS4 Years 10-11 11% KS5 Years 12-13
View data table
Share of pupils in England who said they had been a victim of bullying for any reason in the past 12 months, by school stage (May 2025).
PeriodValueNote
KS325%Years 7-9
KS419%Years 10-11
KS511%Years 12-13
Share of pupils in England who said they had been a victim of bullying for any reason in the past 12 months, by school stage (May 2025). (Department for Education (National behaviour survey), Nov 2025)

The ONS counts bullying behaviours experienced in the past 12 months whether or not the child would call them bullying, for ages 10-15 in England and Wales. The Department for Education asks secondary pupils in England whether they were a victim of bullying, online or in person. The two are different measures.

How common is cyberbullying in Australia and Canada?

Both countries have national surveys, and both find a sizeable share of children affected on their own definitions. Australia also publishes complaint counts from its regulator, which measure reporting and not prevalence.

2,693 2023-24 3,406 2024-25
View data table
Complaints about cyberbullying of children received by Australia's eSafety Commissioner in the last two financial years. Complaint counts show reporting to the regulator, not how common cyberbullying is.
PeriodValue
2023-242,693
2024-253,406
Complaints about cyberbullying of children received by Australia's eSafety Commissioner in the last two financial years. Complaint counts show reporting to the regulator, not how common cyberbullying is. (eSafety Commissioner (annual report 2024-25), Oct 2025)

The annual report counts complaints in financial years and the media release counts valid complaints in calendar years, so the two series are not mixed. eSafety measures online sexual harassment separately from cyberbullying.

How common is cyberbullying in Canada?

  • 32% of young Canadians aged 9-17 have experienced online meanness and cruelty, in a MediaSmarts survey of 1,058 young people conducted in autumn 2021. (MediaSmarts (Young Canadians in a Wireless World), Feb 2023)
  • In Canada, 23% of youth aged 12-17 with no difficulty making friends were cyberbullied in the previous year, compared with 32% of those with some difficulty and 35% of those with a lot of difficulty or who cannot do it (2019). (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)

Statistics Canada asks 12-17 year olds about cyberbullying in the previous year. MediaSmarts asks 9-17 year olds about "online meanness and cruelty", a wider term, and its release gives no time frame.

Do children who spend more time online report more cyberbullying?

Yes, in the surveys that ask both questions. Teens who say they are online constantly report more bullying than those online less often, though these surveys cannot show cause.

  1. 1 Social networking: constantly 34%
  2. 2 Social networking: never 12%
  3. 3 Video and instant messaging: constantly 36%
  4. 4 Video and instant messaging: never 14%
Share of youth aged 12-17 in Canada who were cyberbullied in the previous year, by how often they use each type of app (2019). The table shows an association, not a cause. (Statistics Canada (infographic 11-627-M), Feb 2023)

These are cross-sectional associations. Gallup counts seven platforms, YouTube included, as social media, and Common Sense Media measures entertainment screen use, so their hours are not comparable. Screen-time figures here are limited to those that bear on bullying.

What laws and school phone rules apply to cyberbullying?

Nearly every US state writes cyberbullying into its bullying law, and a growing number of education systems restrict phones in school. The figures below describe the rules and what people think of them; none measures an effect on bullying.

77% All public schools 86% Elementary 55% High/secondary
View data table
Share of US public schools that prohibit students from using cell phones during any class, by school level (data collected December 2024).
PeriodValue
All public schools77%
Elementary86%
High/secondary55%
Share of US public schools that prohibit students from using cell phones during any class, by school level (data collected December 2024). (NCES (School Pulse Panel), Feb 2025)
  • 45 US states have a criminal sanction for cyberbullying or electronic harassment and 46 have a school sanction for cyberbullying, on the Cyberbullying Research Center's own tracker (last modified July 2024). (Cyberbullying Research Center (law tracker), Jul 2024)
  • 49 US states require schools to have a formal bullying policy and 28 specifically include off-campus behaviour; the tracker lists a federal law as proposed. (Cyberbullying Research Center (law tracker), Jul 2024)
  • By the end of 2023, 60 education systems (30%) had bans on smartphone use in schools in their laws or policies; 19 more were banning it by the end of 2024. (UNESCO (GEM Report), Jan 2025)
  • In the United States, 20 out of 50 states had regulations on smartphone use in school in place at the end of 2024. (UNESCO (GEM Report), Jan 2025)
  • 77% of US public schools prohibit students from using cell phones during any class: 86% of elementary schools and 55% of high/secondary schools (data collected December 2024). (NCES (School Pulse Panel), Feb 2025)
  • 30% of all US public schools have a cell phone policy that prohibits students from having their cell phone in all classes or using their cell phone at school (December 2024). (NCES (School Pulse Panel), Feb 2025)
  • 53% of US public school leaders feel that their students' academic performance has been negatively affected by cell phone use (December 2024; leaders' perceptions). (NCES (School Pulse Panel), Feb 2025)
  • 72% of US public school leaders feel cell phones have had a negative effect on their students' mental health and 73% on attention span (December 2024; perceptions, not measured outcomes). (NCES (School Pulse Panel), Feb 2025)
  • 77% of US adults support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class; 18% oppose such a ban and 6% are unsure (survey May-June 2026). (Pew Research Center (school cellphone bans 2026), Jul 2026)
  • 48% of US adults back all-day "bell-to-bell" school cellphone bans for middle and high school students, up from 36% in 2024, while 43% oppose the idea (2026). (Pew Research Center (school cellphone bans 2026), Jul 2026)
  • 57% of US adults under 30 favour an in-class cellphone ban, up from 45% in 2024, and 28% of adults under 30 support all-day bans (2026). (Pew Research Center (school cellphone bans 2026), Jul 2026)
  • 81% of Republicans and Republican leaners and 74% of Democrats and Democratic leaners in the US favour in-class cellphone bans (2026). (Pew Research Center (school cellphone bans 2026), Jul 2026)
  • 55% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats in the US back all-day cellphone bans for middle and high school students (2026). (Pew Research Center (school cellphone bans 2026), Jul 2026)
  • 41% of US teens aged 13-17 support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class (survey September-October 2025), compared with 74% of US adults surveyed in summer 2025. (Pew Research Center (teens on cellphone bans), Jan 2026)
  • 17% of US teens aged 13-17 support banning cellphones for the entire school day and 73% oppose it; 44% of US adults backed an all-day ban in summer 2025. (Pew Research Center (teens on cellphone bans), Jan 2026)

The law counts are the Cyberbullying Research Center's own reading of state statutes and leave out Washington DC. UNESCO counts education systems, and its US state count dates from the end of 2024. School leaders' answers are perceptions. No producer here measured what these rules do to bullying.

How many reports of sextortion and AI-generated images involve children?

The counts are large and rising, but they are reports made to hotlines and police, not numbers of children. They also cover far more than cyberbullying.

  • The US CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025; the total covers every report type and is not a count of cyberbullying. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • The CyberTipline received 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement in 2025, a category that includes sextortion. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • NCMEC received an average of 137 reports of financial sextortion a day in 2025, a 37% increase in daily reports compared with the year before. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • Reports to the CyberTipline in 2025 included more than 400,000 reports of exploitation with a generative AI nexus, a category NCMEC defines itself. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • More than 182,000 of those reports involved possessing, generating or attempting to generate AI-generated child sexual abuse material (2025). (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • NCMEC's Take It Down service received more than 130,000 submissions in 2025 asking for help removing more than 273,000 images and videos. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • The CyberTipline received more than 5,700 reports directly from the victim in 2025, a more than 100% increase from 2024. (NCMEC (CyberTipline data 2025), 2026)
  • The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 75,000 submissions regarding sextortion in 2025 from people of all ages, of which 11,316 came from people under 20. (FBI (IC3 annual report 2025), 2026)
  • IC3 referred more than 5,700 submissions involving minors to NCMEC in 2025. (FBI (IC3 annual report 2025), 2026)
  • Complainants aged 17 or younger filed 13,168 complaints of all crime types with IC3 in 2025, with reported losses of $12,988,892. (FBI (IC3 annual report 2025), 2026)
  • 6% (1 in 17) of US young people aged 13-20 said someone had used technology to create a deepfake nude of them (Thorn's own survey, September-October 2024). (Thorn (deepfake nudes survey), Mar 2025)
  • 13% of US young people aged 13-20 personally knew someone who had been the target of deepfake nudes while under 18, and 12% knew someone who had created or redistributed deepfake nudes of minors (2024). (Thorn (deepfake nudes survey), Mar 2025)
  • 41% of US young people aged 13-20 had heard the term "deepfake nudes", including 31% of teens, and 84% believed such content harms the person depicted (2024). (Thorn (deepfake nudes survey), Mar 2025)
  • In Thorn's 2023 survey of 1,040 US minors aged 9-17, 11% reported believing their friends or classmates had used AI tools to generate nudes of other children, and a further 10% chose "prefer not to say". (Thorn (deepfake nudes survey), Mar 2025)
  • The Internet Watch Foundation took action on 397 reports of sexually coerced extortion featuring child sexual abuse imagery in 2025, a 127% increase compared with 2024 (reports mostly from children in the UK). (Internet Watch Foundation (annual report 2025), 2026)
  • Boys account for 92% of the incidents of sexually coerced extortion reported to the Internet Watch Foundation over the last three years. (Internet Watch Foundation (annual report 2025), 2026)
  • The Internet Watch Foundation received 1,894 reports through the UK's Report Remove tool in 2025, a 66% increase on 2024, and 21% of all reports involved faked imagery. (Internet Watch Foundation (Report Remove 2025), 2026)
  • Over 4,000 young people in the UK have used the Report Remove service since its launch in June 2021. (Internet Watch Foundation (Report Remove 2025), 2026)

NCMEC reports come mostly from online platforms worldwide, and one incident can produce several reports. IC3 counts complaints from the public, and its under-20 band includes 18 and 19 year olds. The two systems are separate and are not added together. Thorn's figures are self-reported in its own surveys.

How common is online harassment and workplace bullying among adults?

Among US adults, online harassment is far more common for under-30s than for older people. The figures in this section are for adults only and are kept apart from the children's figures above.

48% 18-29 32% 30-49 12% 50 and older
View data table
Share of US adults who have been targeted online with more severe behaviours such as physical threats, stalking, sexual harassment or sustained harassment, by age (survey September 2020).
PeriodValue
18-2948%
30-4932%
50 and older12%
Share of US adults who have been targeted online with more severe behaviours such as physical threats, stalking, sexual harassment or sustained harassment, by age (survey September 2020). (Pew Research Center (State of Online Harassment), Jan 2021)

Pew's adult survey was fielded in September 2020 and asks about harassment ever experienced. ADL asks US adults about the past 12 months. Statistics Canada's young-adult figures come from a 2018 survey with a different measure from its youth figures.

How common is bullying of adults at work?

These figures are for US adults at work and cover workplace bullying of any kind, online or in person. The worker counts are the institute's own extrapolations from its survey.

Glossary

Cyberbullying
Bullying carried out online or through phones and other devices. Producers define it differently: some ask one question and others list several behaviours, so their rates differ.
Time frame
The period a survey question covers: ever (lifetime), the past 12 months, the past 30 days or the school year. Longer periods give higher rates.
YRBS
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the CDC's school-based survey of US high school students in grades 9-12.
SCS
School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the NCES survey of US students aged 12-18 about the school year.
NHIS-Teen
The teen survey of the US National Health Interview Survey, used by NCHS for its bullying figures for ages 12-17.
HBSC
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children, the WHO Europe study of adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 in 44 countries and regions.
Bullying behaviour
The ONS term for a listed behaviour a child experienced in the past 12 months, counted whether or not the child would call it bullying.
KS3, KS4, KS5
School stages in England: years 7 to 9, years 10 and 11, and years 12 and 13.
eSafety Commissioner
Australia's online safety regulator, which runs a complaints scheme for cyberbullying of children under 18.
CyberTipline
The US reporting system run by NCMEC for suspected child sexual exploitation. Most reports come from online platforms.
IC3
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which takes crime complaints from the public.
Report Remove
A UK service from the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline that lets under-18s report images of themselves for removal.
Odds ratio
A measure of association between two things in a study. A value above 1 means the outcome was reported more often in one group; it does not show cause.

Methodology and sources

Figures come only from primary sources: official statistics agencies, regulators, peer-reviewed studies and each organisation's own surveys or operating data, with the link beside every number. Each figure is stated with its producer, country, age group and time frame, and figures on different time frames, age groups or definitions are never averaged or charted together. Surveys run by advocacy groups and companies are labelled as their own. Report and complaint counts are described as reports, not as numbers of children. Links between bullying and mental health are given as associations, in the producers' wording. Older studies carry their year. The page is checked against its sources and refreshed monthly.