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New Research Finds Over Half Of U.S Teenagers Are Bullied Online

Unfortunately the problem of cyberbullying and online abuse continues to grow around the world. If you need help for any kind of cyberbullying related problem, follow the links throughout the article to our various support services.

A recent study published by the Pew Research Center has indicated worrying figures that show an increase in teen cyberbullying, with over half (59%) of teens in the U.S reporting being bullied online, and about the same number saying that it is a major problem among people in their age group.

To help understand what teenagers are experiencing online, researchers identified six specific cyberbullying incidents, ranging from low-level name-calling to stalking or threats of violence, and asked teenagers if they had experienced any of the incidents online. Researchers also asked teens about their experiences, their views on cyberbullying and what they thought should be done about it.

“One of the consistent things we’ve found is that teens have a lot of thoughtful and engaging things to say about their own experiences and what’s going on in the world around them.”

Monica Anderson, Senior Researcher, PEW Research Center

One of the key findings from the survey was that women are more likely than men to face sexualized forms of online harassment. This is true for 35% of girls ages 15 to 17, who say they have received unwanted explicit images, compared to one-in-five boys of the same age range. The researchers also found that 39% of girls had experienced false rumors being spread about them online, compared to only 26% of boys experiencing this.

“This report shows how prevalent cyberbullying has become among young people and highlights the need for more resources, education and support for those affected by cyberbullying and online abuse.”

Dan Raisbeck, Co-Founder, The Cybersmile Foundation

The survey also asked teenagers to rate how well they thought cyberbullying is being dealt with by teachers, parents, elected authorities and social media platforms. Parents came top of the list with 59% of teens saying that they thought their parents were doing a ‘good job’ in addressing online harassment. But social media platforms did not do so well with 66% of teens saying that they thought the platforms performed ‘poorly’ when it came to dealing with cyberbullying.

If you or your family are affected by any kind of cyberbullying or online abuse we can help. Visit our Cyberbullying and Online Abuse Help Center or learn more about our Total Access Support and how we can help you with your particular type of problem. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the following suggestions:

What do you think about these concerning statistics? Share your views by contacting us or tweet us @CybersmileHQ.