Cyberbullying: the data and what parents can do
CDC data show roughly 1 in 6 US high-schoolers has been bullied online. What the research says about its impact on teens, and what parents can do.
The CDC's 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 15.9% of U.S. high school students — roughly one in six — reported being electronically bullied in the previous year. Research links being bullied online with depression, anxiety, and lower school engagement. Parents can help: notice warning signs early, keep communication open, document and report incidents, and agree a family media plan in advance.
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place online: mean or threatening messages, humiliating posts, rumours spread on social media, or targeted harassment in games and group chats. Unlike the schoolyard version, it does not stop when the school bell rings — it can follow a teenager home, into their bedroom, and into the small hours of the night.
So how common is it really? The best national figures come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which asks high school students about their experiences directly.
How common is cyberbullying among teens?
The CDC's 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 15.9% of U.S. high school students — roughly one in six — reported being electronically bullied in the previous 12 months. For comparison, 15.0% said they had been bullied on school property, and 22.0% reported either form of bullying.
The burden is not shared equally. Girls were almost twice as likely as boys to report being electronically bullied — 20.5% versus 11.2%. Students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, or another non-heterosexual identity reported markedly higher rates than heterosexual students.
The 2023 survey examined the link with social media habits. Students who used social media at least several times a day were more likely to have been electronically bullied than students who used it less often or not at all — 17.0% versus 15.9% — with an adjusted prevalence ratio of 1.54. In plain terms: heavy social media use is associated with a higher risk of being bullied online.
Cyberbullying vs traditional bullying: how they differ
| Traditional bullying | Cyberbullying | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it happens | School, playground, neighbourhood — a physical place | Anywhere a device connects: social media, games, group chats, texts |
| When it happens | Mainly during school hours or the commute | Any time, including late at night — there is no bell to end it |
| Audience size | Usually a handful of witnesses | Potentially hundreds or thousands; posts can be shared and screenshotted |
| Anonymity | The bully is usually known | The bully can hide behind fake accounts and anonymous apps |
| Escape | Possible by leaving the place | Hard to escape — the phone is also where friends, schoolwork, and support live |
| Evidence | Often one person's word against another's | Easier to document: screenshots, messages, and posts can be saved and reported |
What does cyberbullying do to a teenager's mental health?
Bullying of any kind is linked to worse mental health, but the online variant has some particularly cruel features: the bully can be anonymous, the audience can be enormous, and hurtful content can be saved, shared, and resurfaced long after the incident.
According to StopBullying.gov, young people who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and a loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy — effects that can persist into adulthood. They are also more likely to suffer health complaints such as headaches and stomach aches. Their schoolwork suffers too: lower grades and test scores, less participation, and a higher likelihood of missing, skipping, or dropping out of school.
The CDC's 2023 YRBS data echo the mental-health connection. Among frequent social media users — the group most exposed to online bullying — 42.6% reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness over the previous year, compared with 31.9% of less-frequent users, and 20.2% had seriously considered attempting suicide, compared with 18.7%. Bullying is not the only factor behind these figures, but it is part of a picture parents should take seriously.
One careful note, from a StopBullying.gov research brief: bullying can be a factor in youth suicide, but other factors, such as mental health problems, play a larger role. As its effects page notes, most kids who are bullied do not experience suicidal thoughts. What matters most is recognising distress early and getting help.
Warning signs your teen may be cyberbullied
Many teenagers will not ask for help directly, so StopBullying.gov advises parents to watch for changes — especially changes around devices:
- Sudden increases or decreases in device use, including texting
- Visible emotional reactions — anger, upset — while using a device
- Hiding the screen or the device when others are near, and avoiding discussion of what they are doing
- Social media accounts being shut down — or new ones appearing
- Withdrawing from social situations, even ones they used to enjoy
- Becoming withdrawn or depressed, and losing interest in people and activities
Any one of these can have an innocent explanation. A pattern — or a sudden, sharp change — is worth a calm conversation.
What parents can do when cyberbullying happens
StopBullying.gov lays out a five-step response for cyberbullying: Notice, Talk, Document, Report and Support (see Prevent Cyberbullying):
Notice. Recognise changes in mood or behaviour, and check whether they cluster around device use.
Talk. Ask questions to learn what is happening, how it started, and who is involved. Listen first; problem-solve second.
Document. Keep a record of what is happening and where. Take screenshots of harmful posts or content where possible — bullying is typically a repeated behaviour, and records help document it.
Report. Schools and most platforms have clear reporting processes. If a classmate is involved, report it to the school; you can also report offensive content to the app or platform to have it removed. If there are physical threats or potentially illegal behaviour, report it to the police.
Support. Trusted adults and peers can intervene positively — for example, by posting supportive comments to shift the conversation. Consider whether professional support is needed, such as the school counsellor or a mental-health professional.
Alongside these steps, block the person doing the bullying on social media, the phone and apps once you have saved the evidence.
Set the rules before trouble starts
The American Academy of Pediatrics' Family Media Plan helps families write down what media they use, when, and what behaviour is acceptable. The AAP's newest policy statement, Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents (January 2026), centres its family guidance on a media plan, using media together and talking about it, and device-free times and places.
Practical ground rules worth agreeing in advance: no devices in bedrooms overnight, privacy settings reviewed together, parents following or friending their teen on social media (or another trusted adult doing so), and an explicit promise that telling a parent about something upsetting online will be met with support, not punishment.
What this means for parents
Cyberbullying is common — roughly one in six U.S. high schoolers has experienced it in the past year — and it carries real mental-health costs. But parents are not powerless: noticing early, keeping the conversation open, documenting and reporting, and setting clear digital ground rules in advance can change the outcome. The most protective thing you can give your teenager is not a perfectly filtered internet. It is the confidence that if something goes wrong online, you are the first person they will tell.