One in six teenagers in Europe is a victim of cyberbullying - WHO
Kyiv • UNN
One in six school-age children experience cyberbullying, a number that has increased since 2018 due to the increasing digitalization of young people's interactions, according to a new WHO study on bullying and violence among adolescents.
Every sixth child of school age faces cyberbullying, according to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, UNN reports.
Details
"While overall trends in school bullying have remained stable since 2018, cyberbullying has increased, exacerbated by the increasing digitalization of young people's interactions, with the potential to have a serious impact on young people's lives," the report's press release states.
Some of the key findings reportedly include:
Bullying others at school. On average, 6% of adolescents are involved in bullying others at school. This behavior is more common among boys (8%) than girls (5%).
Being bullied at school. Approximately 11% of adolescents have experienced bullying at school, with no significant difference between boys and girls.
Cyberbullying others. Approximately 12% (1 in 8) of adolescents report cyberbullying others. Boys (14%) are more likely to report cyberbullying than girls (9%). It is noteworthy that this reflects an increase compared to 2018: the share of boys increased from 11% and girls from 7%.
Exposure to cyberbullying. 15% of adolescents (about 1 in 6) have been cyberbullied, with rates roughly equal between boys (15%) and girls (16%). This is an increase compared to 2018: from 12% to 15% for boys and from 13% to 16% for girls.
Physical fights. Every tenth adolescent has been involved in physical fights, with a marked gender difference: 14% of boys vs. 6% of girls.
This report is a wake-up call for all of us to tackle bullying and violence whenever and wherever it occurs. With young people spending up to six hours online every day, even small changes in bullying and violence can have serious consequences for the health and well-being of thousands. From self-harm to suicide, we have seen how cyberbullying in all its forms can devastate the lives of young people and their families. It is both a health and a human rights issue, and we must step up to protect our children from violence and harm both offline and online,
To this end, the WHO ERB, as indicated, has recently published its first "position paper" on protecting children from harm online.
For reference
On March 27, WHO's EMCDDA published the second volume of the Health Behaviors of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, which focuses on patterns of bullying and peer violence among adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 in 44 countries and regions in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.
