Bytes of hate – Cyberbullying others

Schools play an important role in promoting the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Pupils spend a significant amount of time at school during a formative phase of their lives, when their personalities and socio-emotional competencies are being developed.
Wellbeing at school includes
- feeling safe, valued and respected
- participating in academic and social activities
- having positive self-esteem and supportive relationships with teachers and peers
- feeling happy with their lives at school
Adolescent peer violence varies socio-demographically – girls are more likely to engage in verbal and other indirect forms of violence, while boys more often participate in direct physical violence.
Young people are increasingly exposed to environments characterised by technology and online communication, and a new form of peer violence have emerged, commonly referred to as cyberbullying ().
Cyberbullying has a large impact on student wellbeing, significantly affecting learners’ health, academic achievement and decisions to leave school early. The COVID 19 pandemic has of many children, especially with anxiety and depression – leaving many pupils with reduced emotional wellbeing and motivation.
The study by the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted every four years using self-reported questionnaires, focuses on the health and wellbeing of young people worldwide (aged 11/13/15 years). Its goal is to examine adolescent health in its social context to better understand societal influences on health (44 countries participated in the 2022 round).
15-year-olds who cyberbullied others at least once or twice in the past couple of months
Notes: In bars, red highlights indicate the size of an increase in cyberbullying between 2018 and 2022; green highlights indicate the size of a decrease in cyberbullying between 2018 and 2022. Source: (2022)
This chart of the month shows the change between 2018 and 2022 in the share of 15-year-olds who reported that they take part in cyberbullying others (sending mean instant messages, wall postings or emails, posting/sharing photos or videos online without permission).
Most countries have experienced increases, especially among boys (girls generally report lower participation in cyberbullying). However, as this is a self-reported survey, there are quite a few caveats about interpreting the data. Social desirability and shame might lead participants to underreport their actual participation in cyberbullying. International comparisons might also be biased by different levels of awareness to the issue: young people may not always identify bullying as such but see it as ‘fun’ or ‘jokes’ (). Thus, the results in countries with higher shares might also reflect greater sensitivity to the issue.
Background
: based on a , the initiative aims to promote better educational outcomes for all learners and to promote the wellbeing of learners and educators at school, with special focus on basic skills, early school leaving and safety at school.
European Toolkit for inclusion and wellbeing at school: presents concrete ideas to promote inclusive education and tackle early school leaving. The toolkit covers 5 areas: school governance, teachers, support to learners, parental involvement and stakeholder involvement. Each of these sections includes challenges and proposals for actions.
Part of the European strategy for a , the network of provides helpline services to report (cyber)bullying, sextortion, grooming and other online threats. The obliges online platforms to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for children and young people. Platforms also have to provide easy ways to report (cyber)bullying and illegal or harmful content on their platforms.
Disclaimer: The chart of the month does not constitute a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for any use made of the chart of the month.
Additional information
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Education type:School Education
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Target audience:TeacherStudent TeacherHead Teacher / PrincipalPedagogical AdviserTeacher EducatorResearcher
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Target audience ISCED:Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)