- Security
- Privacy
- Performance
Nearly half of US teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying. But it doesn’t just impact our youth — 41% of adults and 95% of content creators have faced some type of online harassment. In this article, we've compiled some of the most startling cyberbullying statistics that help explain the extent of the problem and what is being done to minimize the impact.
The internet and social media can be incredible tools for learning, connecting with friends, and streaming your favorite music and shows — but they also pave the way for cyberbullying. This modern phenomenon refers to bullying that happens over digital platforms, often the same platforms that were originally created to help facilitate positive interactions. But as social spaces evolve, negativity often starts to creep in. And the internet never sleeps, which makes it hard for cyberbullying victims to find respite from the negative effects.
The prevalence of digital devices and internet access makes kids more vulnerable to online taunting than ever.
Source: Gitnux
It’s not just young people, though. Adults are also suffering from harassment across email, social media, and online forums because of their appearance, gender, and beliefs. In the US, 41% of adults have faced some type of online harassment.
Cyberbullying affects a large share of the younger population. Nearly half of US teens have reported experiencing some form of cyberbullying. The problem has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. Social media content creators are particularly vulnerable, with most facing harassment or hate at some point in their careers.
Globally, cyberbullying ranks as a primary concern regarding online safety. Yet in the US, the response from social media platforms to combat this issue is largely viewed as insufficient by teens, who feel that these platforms do a fair to poor job in addressing online harassment and bullying. This widespread dissatisfaction underscores the urgent need for more effective measures to safeguard online spaces.
of US teens aged 13 to 17
Report that they’ve experienced at least one of six forms of cyberbullying in their lifetime.
of US children
Say they have experienced more cyberbullying since the beginning of the pandemic and 14% say they have cyberbullied others more.
of social media content creators
Could recall an incident of harassment or hate throughout their careers.
of people in 17 countries
Surveyed in 2023 said cyberbullying was the biggest worry about online risks.
of US teens aged 13 to 17
Think social media sites are only doing a fair to poor job dealing with online harassment.
While cyberbullying touches all demographics, some groups — such as girls and LGBTQ+ students — are more likely to be bullied online than their peers. And while cyberbullying happens all over the world, the perceived risk varies among countries, as does the way citizens respond.
Cyberbullying is more prevalent among teenagers and children than other age groups. On average, a quarter of children and teens have cyberbullied someone in the last five years. In 2021, 16% of high school students said that they were electronically bullied over the previous 12 months — girls (20%) experienced more online bullying than boys (11%).
It’s not just age or sex that makes a difference; in the US, Black teens aged 13 to 17 are about twice as likely as white or Hispanic teens to say they’ve been cyberbullied due to their race or ethnicity.
The results of one report found that LGBQ+ students experienced cyberbullying at twice the rate as their heterosexual counterparts (27% compared to 13%). As of June 2021, 35% of transgender youth (13- to 17-year-olds) had been victims of cyberbullying.
Teens make up the largest percentage of cyberbullying victims. Of this cohort, victims said the bullying messages had to do with their:
A global survey spanning 17 countries revealed that cyberbullying is the online risk that parents are most worried about in the majority of countries (see Microsoft’s downloadable report). The percentage of parents worried about cyberbullying in each country surveyed is as follows: Singapore (49%), Australia (46%), Mexico (46%), Italy (42%), Canada (41%), Germany (41%), the UK (41%), Mexico (38%), US (40%), France (37%), Spain (37%), Czechia (36%), Colombia (36%), Denmark (35%), India (34%), South Korea (31%), and Brazil (28%).
Singapore’s high level of concern may be because while nearly half of survey respondents reported experiencing online harm, 43% said they wouldn't take action because they don't believe it will help. Australia’s attempts to tackle the problem have borne some fruit: In the twelve months following legislative changes to enhance online safety in Australia, the eSafety agency investigated nearly 1,700 cyberbullying complaints and made over 500 requests for content removal.
Risk factors for cyberbullying in Canada include:
Time spent online
Having few friends
Poor parental education
In Saudi Arabia, cyberbullying has had a significant impact on the school performance of 26% of 12- to 18-year-olds and led 21% to consider self-harm.
This overview highlights the pervasive and variable nature of cyberbullying across different regions, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches to combat this digital menace. Cyberbullying impacts victims everywhere, with far-reaching effects. Let’s take a closer look.
Cyberbullying significantly affects mental health, education, and personal well-being across various demographics. Teens and tweens — who are particularly sensitive to emotional and social challenges — often find themselves in a cycle of negativity, reporting significant emotional repercussions, with most expressing anger, hurt, and fear.
Similarly, content creators, who often rely on social platforms for their livelihoods, face persistent harassment. A staggering 95% have experienced some form of cyberbullying, causing many to leave platforms temporarily or permanently. The mental health toll is significant across all groups, with nearly all victims reporting adverse effects. Cyberbullying perpetuates a vicious cycle of social anxiety and increases the likelihood of depression and suicidal thoughts.
Teens and tweens are at a delicate stage in their emotional development, which can leave them feeling especially vulnerable. And cyberbullying creates a vicious cycle — of 12- to 17-year-olds, 77% who had cyberbullied others had also experienced being cyberbullied themselves.
More than 50% of teens felt angry after being cyberbullied, about 33% felt hurt, and nearly 15% felt scared. And two-thirds of teenagers who experienced cyberbullying said it “affected their ability to learn and feel safe at school.” They are also four times more likely to engage in self-harm or suicidal behavior.
Tweens undoubtedly feel an impact too, with nearly 94% of victims saying it negatively impacted their life in some way:
Tween girls (roughly aged 9 to 12) report more often than boys that cyberbullying has affected their friendships (44% compared to 20%) and their physical well-being (22% compared to 4%).
Research compiled by the Association for Computing Machinery shows the extent of cyberbullying on content creators, with 95% having endured harassment at some point in their careers.
It’s not usually a one-off case for this group either. Around 70% report experiencing bullying, trolling, sexual harassment, and identity attacks "more often than rarely." And 36% of creators suffered these attacks regularly.
Reflecting on the severity of attacks, 25% said they were “very” or “extremely upset.” 44% said they left a platform at least temporarily because of hate and harassment and 19% left a platform permanently. Given that content creators often make money on these platforms, or at least build followers, these numbers highlight the negative impact they experience.
Nearly all victims of cyberbullying (93%) report negative mental health effects. Cyberbullying often gives perpetrators anonymity or, at the very least, a barrier between themselves and their victims. This apparent distance can make online harassment harsher than traditional bullying, with a bigger impact on adolescents’ emotional wellbeing.
Since social media companies are highly protective of proprietary data, tracking cyberbullying on these platforms can be challenging. However, multiple research studies have cited Instagram as a particularly ripe platform for bullying. Ditch the Label notes that young people are twice as likely to be bullied on Instagram than on other social networks.
But cyberbullying occurs on every platform. The same survey found that 54% of young people on Facebook reported experiencing bullying on the platform and 28% on X (formerly Twitter).
Cyberbullying can happen just about anywhere online and on any social media platform. The most popular social networking sites used vary by age. Here is a snapshot of the most popular apps in the US:
Facebook (69%)
YouTube (57%)
Instagram (45%)
TikTok (33%)
X (30%)
Source: Hubspot
BeReal (313%)
Twitch (29%)
LinkedIn (20%)
TikTok (16%)
Source: Hubspot
TikTok (38%)
Snapchat (28%)
Instagram (23%)
Source: Statista
A study by Pew Research identified the six most prevalent forms of cyberbullying affecting US teens, highlighting the diverse ways in which young individuals are targeted online. The most common type, experienced by nearly a third of teens, is offensive name-calling, reported by 32% of respondents. This is followed by the spreading of false rumors and the receipt of unsolicited explicit images. These statistics underscore the challenging and often hostile environment that teens navigate in the digital space.
The six most common types of cyberbullying experienced by US teens are:
Offensive name-calling (32%)
Spreading of false rumors (22%)
Receiving unsolicited explicit images (17%)
Constantly being asked about what they’re doing, where they’re going, or who they’re with by someone other than a parent (15%)
Physical threats (10%)
Having explicit images of them shared without their consent (7%)
So, what’s being done to address cyberbullying? While social media platforms, law enforcement, and other groups are taking steps, most teens remain unimpressed.
Pew Research Center data reveals that teens (aged 13 to 17) do not think the following parties are doing a good job of dealing with online harassment:
of teens surveyed think law enforcement is doing a fair/poor job
of teens surveyed think social media sites are doing a fair/poor job
of teens surveyed think elected officials are doing a fair/poor job
In 2022, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) analyzed more than 8,700 abusive direct messages women received on Instagram and found the platform didn’t act on 90% of the abuse. But Instagram has tried to make changes. The platform has created a strategy called “nudging,” which means that before posting a potentially offensive comment, users are now encouraged to think twice. After seeing this message, about 50% of people edited or deleted their comments.
In 2020, the Cyberbullying Research Center found that 9- to 12-year-olds in the US use the following methods to deal with cyberbullies:
Block the cyberbully (60%)
Tell a parent (51%)
Ignore the abuse (43%)
Report incidents to the app or website (30%)
Take a break from their device (30%)
Report it to their school (12%)
Talk to the perpetrator (11%)
Other ways not listed (6%)
Nothing worked (2%)
As people spend more time online cyberbullying may become more prevalent, and many don’t know what to do when cyberbullied on Facebook or other platforms. At a minimum, consider changing your privacy settings on Facebook and Instagram. Of course, contacts could still leave a nasty message, but keeping your profile private will help stop a lot of instances of cyberbullying.
If you, or someone you know, are being cyberbullied, you don’t need to face it alone. The stopbullying.gov website has excellent resources and information for kids, teens, and adults. It recommends documenting and reporting the behavior and outlines what to do if someone is in immediate danger.
STOMP Out Bullying in the US has a Live HelpChat Crisis Line that’s free to use for those aged 13 to 24. Trained counselors are available at the following times:
Tuesday: 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm EST
Wednesday: 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm EST
Thursday: 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm EST
Friday: 9:00 pm - 1:00 am EST
With award-winning online security protection and modern privacy features like a VPN, Avast One is there to help you and your family stay safer online. It can also help clamp down on cyberbullying with the Privacy Advisor feature, which helps you control who can view your social media profiles and which apps can access your or your children's data. Download Avast One today for powerful protection against scams, dangerous sites and links, and other online threats.