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WHO: One in six school children is a victim of cyberbullying
Students in Thuringia take part in the media literacy course against cyberbullying: Many children become victims of cyberbullying. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
More and more students are affected by bullying in the digital space. The World Health Organization warns that this endangers the health of many young people.
According to the report, both the proportion of victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying increased. Around 15 percent of students have experienced cyberbullying. The proportion of victims among boys grew from 12 percent in the 2018 comparison report to 15 percent and among girls from 13 to 16 percent.
Around one in eight schoolchildren between the ages of 11 and 15 said they had bullied someone in the digital space. A significant increase: While 11 percent of boys in the 2018 report said they had bullied someone in the digital space, this proportion has now increased to 14 percent. For girls, the number increased from 7 to 9 percent.
The report focused on patterns of bullying and violence among children and young people. Data from more than 279,000 young people were evaluated. For the HBSC study, 11 to 15 year olds are surveyed every four years. The latest 2021/2022 survey was conducted in 44 countries and regions in Europe, Central Asia and Canada. The HBSC study is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Significant gender difference
According to the report, the number of bullying cases in schools overall remained relatively stable. About 11 percent of students said they had ever been bullied at school. 6 percent said they had ever bullied someone at school. This behavior is attributed more to boys (8 percent) than to girls (6 percent).
One in ten young people has been involved in physical altercations, although there is a clear difference between the genders: 14 percent of boys compared to 6 percent of girls.
“This report is a wake-up call for all of us to condemn bullying and violence wherever and whenever it occurs,” writes Hans Henri Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in the report. “With young people spending up to six hours online every day, even small changes in rates of bullying and violence can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of thousands.” Efforts must be made to protect children from violence and harm, both online and offline.