42 Staggering Cyber Bullying Statistics

The stories of cyber bullying are heart-wrenching. It is a behavior that can have devastating consequences. The number of children who are committing suicide continues to be high and it is because of the disturbing truths that are behind these cyber bullying statistics which may be influencing these decisions.

With these statistics, think of names like Hannah Smith, Jessica Logan, Tyler Clementi, and Sarah Lynn Butler. Hundreds of children experience cyber bullying every day, and unlike “traditional” bullying, a cyber bully can keep harassing a child even when they are at home. It occurs over the internet, over the phone, and other online contact mediums.

Some may say that parents need to teach children to stand up to a bully and defend themselves. Using that logic, then parents must also teach their children not to be a bully in the first place.

Statistics About Cyber Bullying

1. Over 40% of children say that they have been bullied online at least once. 25% of children say that it has happened to them more than once. (Do Something)

2. 70% of students today report that they see frequent cyber bullying happen. (Do Something)

3. Over 80% of teens in the United States use a cell phone on a regular basis, making it the most common format for cyber bullying to occur. (Do Something)

4. 2 out of 3 teens agree that cyber bullying is a problem that needs to be taken seriously. (Do Something)

5. 81% of kids think that cyber bullying is easier to get away with than “traditional” bullying activities today. (Do Something)

6. Just 15% of students admit that they have been cyber bullying other people at some point during their lifetime. (Megan Meier Foundation)

7. Adolescent girls are the most likely to have experienced cyber bullying at least once in their lives, with 40.6% of them reporting an incident. 28.2% of adolescent boys have reported at least one cyber bullying incident. (Megan Meier Foundation)

8. The effects of cyber bullying tend to be more devastating for girls when compared to boys. Girls are more likely to post mean comments, while boys are more likely to post videos or pictures that they think may be hurtful. (Megan Meier Foundation)

9. Weight is a contributing factor for the chances of cyber bullying to occur for a child. 61% of children who are classified as being overweight have received either a mean or an embarrassing post online. (Megan Meier Foundation)

10. 59% of children who are overweight say that they have received either a text, an email, or an instant message that they believed was mean. (Megan Meier Foundation)

11. In 2011, there were an estimated 22 million students who experienced at least one cyber bullying incident. (NCES)

12. In 2011, 9% of students reported a cyber bullying incident to a national survey. In 2009, the number of students who reported an incident was just 6.2%. (NCES)

13. Over 70% of students who report a cyber bullying incident say that it happened “once or twice” over the course of a school year. (NCES)

14. 1 in 5 students who report that they have been cyber bullied say that it happens to them once or twice per month. (NCES)

15. 5.3% of students say that they are cyber bullied at least once or twice per week, while 3.1% of students say that they experience cyber bullying “almost every day.” (NCES)

16. When asked about cyber bullying, 3.6% of students report that it was through the use of hurtful information that was found on the internet. Another 4.4% of students say that they received unwanted contact via text messaging. (NCES)

17. Just 1.1% of students report that private information was being purposely shared as a way to reach them through cyber bullying. (NCES)

18. 1 in 4 teens on social media have reported an experience that resulted in a face-to-face confrontation with someone. (Megan Meier Foundation)

19. 13% of students who reported cyber bullying and have a social media profile stated that they had concerns about having to go to school the next day. (Megan Meier Foundation)

20. 12% of students who have reported cyber bullying say that they were being called names over a text message that they did not like, with 11% saying that they received a text message from another student that was intended to hurt their feelings. (Megan Meier Foundation)

21. As of 2010, 8% of public schools have reported that cyber bullying has occurred amongst their students at a minimum of at least once a week at school or away from school. Some public schools report seeing cyber bullying on a daily basis. (Megan Meier Foundation)

22. Despite the high numbers of cyber bullying reports, only 4% of schools that report cyber bullying data state that such actions disrupt the learning environment that the school provides. (US Department of Education)

23. Since 2006, reports show that teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media, despite the threat that the information could be used for a future cyber bullying attempt. (Pew)

24. Since 2011, Twitter profiles that are managed by teens has grown from 16% to 24%. (Pew)

25. 60% of teen Facebook users keep their profiles private and report high levels of confidence in their ability to properly manage all of their account settings. (Pew)

26. 91% of teens post regular photos of themselves online, with 71% of teens posting their school name on their profile. (Megan Meier Foundation)

27. 53% of teens will post their email address so that it can be viewed on their social media profiles. (Megan Meier Foundation)

28. 1 in 5 teens will post their cell phone number so that it can be viewed by others on a social media platform. (Megan Meier Foundation)

29. Older teens in the 14-17 age demographic are more likely to share photos, their school name, their relationship status, and their cell phone number compared to younger social media users in the 12-13 age demographic. (Pew)

30. 16% of teens who are using social media have setup their profile so that it will automatically post their location with a status update. (Pew)

31. 1 in 4 teens say that they include false information within their social media profiles, including a fake name, location, or age as an effort to protect their privacy. (Megan Meier Foundation)

32. 61% of teens say that they have deleted comments that others have made on their profile. Another 52% say that they have untagged themselves from photos. (Megan Meier Foundation)

33. 38% of teens say that they have deleted or deactivated their profile or account because of their concerns or experiences regarding cyber bullying. (Megan Meier Foundation)

34. 90% of teens who say that they have seen cyber bullying happen on social media have ignored it. Another 84% of teens say that they have seen others online tell cyber bullies that they need to stop their behaviors. (Do Something)

35. Only 10% of the victims of cyber bullying will tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult about what they have experienced. (Do Something)

36. Children that have experienced cyber bullying are up to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide. The number of incidents of cyber bullying that a child experiences may increase the likelihood of this consideration. (Do Something)

37. 3 in 4 students admit that they have visited at least one website that had content which was intended to be hurtful to another student. (Do Something)

38. 1 in5 teens who have a social media profile say that their peers are mostly unkind when it comes to online communication. (Pew)

39. 88% of teens say that they see cyber bullying occur on social media at least “once in a while.” 29% of teens say that they see meanness occur “sometimes,” while 12% report that they see cruel behaviors occur on a frequent basis. (Pew)

40. 52% of parents are worried that their child is going to experience cyber bullying on a social networking site. 1 in 6 parents report that they know their child has been cyber bullied at least once. (AOA)

41. Just 23% of teens that have reported a cyber bullying incident say that it came from someone that they did not know. (NCPC)

42. 27% of teens say that their parents have no idea what they are doing online. (NCPC)

In order for cyber bullying to stop, we must attack this issue from multiple angles. We must encourage children to stand up for themselves. We must also encourage them to intervene whenever they witness cyber bullying. We must teach our children that cyber bullying is not an acceptable practice, even if the words seem like they are offered anonymously. And finally, we must provide coping mechanisms for a children and have strong relationships established with them so that the risks of suicidal thoughts can be reduced.

These cyber bullying statistics show that this is an issue which won’t be going away any time soon. That means it is up to us act right now.