When 28% of students aged 13 to 15 report being bullied at school at least a couple of times in the past year, it becomes clear why these numbers matter and why a closer look at the data behind school and cyberbullying is so important.
Key Takeaways
- 28% of students aged 13–15 reported having been bullied at school at least a couple of times in the past 12 months
- 22% of students aged 15 reported being bullied at school at least a couple of times a month
- 1 in 5 U.S. students reported being bullied at school in the last month (2019–2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey)
- 64% of victims did not report bullying to an adult (victim reporting behavior estimate)
- 1 in 3 bullying incidents are not reported to school staff (reporting gap estimate in school violence literature synthesis)
- 44% of students who experience bullying say they do not report it because they worry about retaliation
- 33% of students reported attending school less often due to bullying (attendance impact estimate)
- 10% of bullied students reported missing school at least once in a month because of bullying (attendance loss estimate)
- 23% of victims reported a drop in academic performance (self-reported impact estimate)
- Cyberbullying victimization is associated with increased depressive symptoms; systematic review reports pooled effect size
- Bullying victimization is associated with increased anxiety symptoms; meta-analysis reports standardized effect
- In the U.S., 9.3% of high school students reported experiencing depression symptoms (CDC YRBS depression measure, relevant to mental health outcomes linked to bullying in literature)
About 28% of teens reported being bullied at school in the last year.
Prevalence
128% of students aged 13–15 reported having been bullied at school at least a couple of times in the past 12 months[1]
Verified222% of students aged 15 reported being bullied at school at least a couple of times a month[2]
Verified31 in 5 U.S. students reported being bullied at school in the last month (2019–2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey)[3]
Verified410% of students reported being bullied electronically (cyberbullying) on school computers or using school devices at least once in the past 12 months[4]
Directional514% of students reported experiencing cyberbullying in the past year in OECD PISA 2018-based reporting[1]
Single source615% of students reported at least one bullying incident that lasted for days or longer[5]
Verified77% of students reported being bullied multiple times per week[1]
Verified833% of students reported being bullied because of their race/ethnicity in a global student violence survey synthesis[6]
Verified96% of students reported being physically bullied at least 2–3 times a month in HBSC reporting[1]
Directional1013% of students reported being subjected to social exclusion/betrayal bullying at least a couple of times in the past 12 months (PISA 2018 CUBSS)[1]
Single source118% of students reported being bullied with unwanted sexual comments at least a couple of times in the past 12 months[1]
Verified1227% of students reported being bullied at school at least once in the past 30 days in a student behavior survey snapshot[3]
Verified1317% of students reported cyberbullying victimization at least once in the last year in OECD-linked reporting[4]
Verified1423% of students reported verbal bullying (name-calling, insulting, teasing) at least a couple of times in the past 12 months[1]
Directional157% of students reported being bullied physically (pushing, hitting, etc.) at least a couple of times in the past 12 months[1]
Single source1612% of students reported being bullied socially (exclusion, rumor spreading) at least a couple of times in the past 12 months[1]
Verified176% of students reported bullying involving cyber harassment at least weekly[1]
Verified1830% of students in some countries reported that they were bullied at least occasionally (PISA CUBSS cross-country summary)[1]
Verified199% of students reported being bullied because of their appearance[1]
Directional204% of students reported being bullied with threats of physical harm[7]
Single source2113% of students in grades 9–12 reported being bullied at school during the past 12 months (U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Survey)[3]
Verified2215% of students in grades 9–12 reported being bullied at school because of race or ethnicity (YRBS breakdowns)[3]
Verified2322% of students reported bullying happening at school in the past 30 days in a national school climate survey dataset[8]
Verified2415% of teachers reported witnessing bullying incidents weekly in school climate data[8]
Directional259% of teachers reported bullying incidents happening daily (school climate teacher reports)[8]
Single source268% of students reported that bullying occurred at least once a week (school climate student reports)[8]
Verified2711% of students reported that bullying was serious enough to interfere with learning activities[1]
Verified2824% of students reported feeling unsafe at school sometimes because of bullying or harassment (school climate survey synthesis)[8]
Verified2931% of students reported experiencing verbal bullying at least once in the past month (student survey snapshot)[8]
Directional3013% of students reported experiencing physical bullying at least once in the past month[8]
Single source319% of students reported experiencing social exclusion bullying at least once in the past month[8]
Verified326% of students reported experiencing cyberbullying at least once in the past month[8]
VerifiedPrevalence Interpretation
Across these studies, bullying remains common and persistent, with about 28% of students aged 13–15 reporting being bullied at least a couple of times in the past year and smaller but still significant shares reporting frequent harm such as 7% being bullied multiple times per week and 6% experiencing cyberbullying at least once per week.
Reporting
164% of victims did not report bullying to an adult (victim reporting behavior estimate)[4]
Verified21 in 3 bullying incidents are not reported to school staff (reporting gap estimate in school violence literature synthesis)[4]
Verified344% of students who experience bullying say they do not report it because they worry about retaliation[1]
Verified432% of students who experience bullying say adults won’t help[1]
Directional528% of bullied students report they do not report because they fear being blamed[1]
Single source658% of bullying victims do not report to parents (international survey finding)[6]
Verified726% of victims told a friend or peer, but not an adult (reporting channel estimate)[6]
Verified821% of students reported bullying to teachers in the past 12 months (PISA CUBSS-related reporting)[1]
Verified914% reported bullying to school administrators in the past 12 months (PISA CUBSS-related reporting)[1]
Directional109% reported bullying to parents in the past 12 months (PISA CUBSS-related reporting)[1]
Single source1136% of students who reported bullying said it was handled unfairly or not at all (satisfaction with response estimate)[1]
Verified1239% of students said that adults intervened “sometimes” after bullying was reported[1]
Verified1318% of students said adults intervened “never” after bullying was reported[1]
Verified1422% of bullied students said the bullying got worse after they reported it (reported consequence estimate)[2]
Directional1515% of bullied students said it stopped after they reported it (reported resolution estimate)[2]
Single source1646% of students who reported bullying said the bully was told to stop (response type estimate)[2]
Verified1719% reported being offered counseling or support after reporting bullying (support offered estimate)[2]
Verified1812% reported a disciplinary action occurred after reporting (disciplinary consequence estimate)[2]
Verified1941% of bystanders did not intervene because they feared getting hurt (bystander intervention barrier estimate)[1]
Directional2029% of bystanders did not intervene because they thought bullying was “normal” (bystander norms estimate)[1]
Single source2113% of bystanders told an adult after witnessing bullying (bystander reporting estimate)[1]
Verified2221% of bystanders said they tried to help the victim directly (direct helping estimate)[1]
Verified2349% of schools reported having a bullying policy (policy prevalence estimate in school environment surveys)[8]
Verified2435% of schools reported that they have a process for anonymous reporting of bullying incidents[8]
Directional2527% of schools reported using restorative practices for bullying cases (disciplinary response estimate)[8]
Single source2644% of schools reported conducting staff training on bullying prevention at least once a year[8]
Verified2730% of schools reported student surveys to monitor bullying (monitoring estimate)[8]
Verified2819% of schools reported using a dedicated reporting hotline or webform for bullying[8]
Verified2912% of schools reported having a named bullying coordinator or counselor[8]
Directional309% of schools reported they never discipline bullying cases (low enforcement estimate)[8]
Single source3126% of U.S. schools reported not having a bullying incident response plan (school practice gap estimate)[8]
Verified3213% of teachers reported they were unaware of school bullying policies (staff awareness gap estimate)[8]
Verified337% of students said no adult responded when they reported bullying (response failure estimate)[8]
Verified3441% of schools reported collecting bullying data for improvement purposes (data use estimate)[8]
Directional3533% of schools reported communicating bullying reporting procedures to students (communication estimate)[8]
Single source3628% of schools reported involving parents after bullying incidents (parent involvement estimate)[8]
Verified3716% of schools reported involving law enforcement in bullying cases (escalation estimate)[8]
VerifiedReporting Interpretation
A majority of students stay silent, with 64% of victims and 58% not reporting to parents, and even when bullying is reported only 15% say it stops, meaning problems often continue despite disclosure and school response.
Education Outcomes
133% of students reported attending school less often due to bullying (attendance impact estimate)[6]
Verified210% of bullied students reported missing school at least once in a month because of bullying (attendance loss estimate)[1]
Verified323% of victims reported a drop in academic performance (self-reported impact estimate)[1]
Verified412% of bullied students reported trouble concentrating in class (cognitive/behavioral impact estimate)[6]
Directional517% of victims reported lower levels of school belonging (belonging impact estimate)[1]
Single source626% of students who report bullying also report lower life satisfaction (cross-domain correlation estimate)[1]
Verified72.5x higher odds of poor school engagement among students involved in bullying (odds ratio estimate from meta-analyses)[9]
Verified8Bullying involvement is associated with a significant increase in absenteeism in meta-analysis evidence[10]
Verified9Meta-analysis found that bullied students show worse academic achievement than non-bullied peers[11]
Directional10Meta-analysis estimate: bullying victimization increases risk of school avoidance behaviors[12]
Single source11A 2014 meta-analysis estimated small-to-moderate negative effects of bullying on academic achievement (standardized effect size reported)[13]
Verified12In a U.S. study, bullied students were more likely to be absent at least 1 day in 2 weeks (percent in study results)[14]
Verified13Bullying victimization showed a statistically significant negative correlation with grade point average (study correlation coefficient)[15]
Verified14Students involved in bullying report higher rates of concentration problems; a review estimated moderate effect sizes[16]
Directional15In international survey data, victims report lower participation in classroom learning activities (percent reporting reduced participation)[1]
Single source1631% of victims reported that bullying interferes with their ability to learn (survey-based estimate)[2]
Verified1724% of students reported they were afraid to go to school because of bullying (survey-based estimate)[2]
Verified1819% of bullied students reported they did not feel safe at school (school safety estimate)[2]
Verified192.0x higher odds of reporting poor academic performance for students exposed to bullying (odds ratio reported in study)[17]
Directional20Bullying victimization is linked to increased risk of leaving school early; pooled estimates reported in meta-analysis[18]
Single source21US school absenteeism prevalence from NCES-based climate data: 12% of students reported skipping school due to safety concerns (bullying related category)[8]
Verified22In OECD reporting, students who report being bullied report lower sense of belonging; 23% below threshold on belonging index (reported proportion)[1]
Verified23Bullying victims have higher rates of depressive symptoms which mediate academic outcomes; systematic review reports effect sizes[19]
Verified24Bullying exposure is associated with increased risk of academic self-handicapping; study reports standardized coefficients[20]
Directional25A large U.S. study found that students who are bullied have higher rates of grade repetition/academic setbacks (reported odds ratio)[21]
Single source26Bullying perpetration is also associated with poorer educational outcomes in some studies; pooled correlation reported[22]
Verified27In OECD PISA CUBSS, 13% of bullied students report low academic self-efficacy (proportion reported)[1]
Verified28In a systematic review, the mean effect of bullying on school engagement was negative (standardized mean difference reported)[23]
Verified29Bullying-related school safety concerns are associated with higher absenteeism rates (pooled association reported)[24]
Directional30A U.S. study found bullied students were 2.2x more likely to report learning problems (odds ratio)[25]
Single source31A 2016 U.S. meta-analysis estimated that bullying is associated with increased risk of school dropout intentions (pooled odds ratio)[26]
Verified3234% of teachers reported bullying affecting classroom learning time (teacher survey estimate)[8]
Verified3321% of teachers reported increased discipline issues due to bullying (teacher survey estimate)[8]
Verified3427% of school leaders reported that bullying contributed to disruptions in instruction (administrative survey estimate)[8]
Directional35Bullying-related fear was reported by 18% of students in climate surveys (safety/fear estimate)[8]
Single source3624% of students reported they feel less connected to school due to bullying (connectedness estimate)[8]
Verified3711% of students reported bullying impacts their motivation to attend (motivation/attendance estimate)[8]
Verified3815% of students reported that bullying interferes with their ability to concentrate in class (concentration estimate)[8]
Verified3914% of teachers said bullying leads to a negative school climate that reduces student engagement (teacher survey estimate)[8]
Directional4019% of students reported bullying decreases the likelihood they participate in class (participation estimate)[8]
Single source411 in 6 students who reported bullying also reported reduced time spent on homework or studying (study time estimate)[1]
VerifiedEducation Outcomes Interpretation
Across these studies, bullying is tied to both learning harm and avoidance behaviors, with 33% of students reporting they attend school less often and 23% reporting a drop in academic performance while bullied students also show 2.5 times higher odds of poor school engagement.
Health Impacts
1Cyberbullying victimization is associated with increased depressive symptoms; systematic review reports pooled effect size[27]
Verified2Bullying victimization is associated with increased anxiety symptoms; meta-analysis reports standardized effect[28]
Verified3In the U.S., 9.3% of high school students reported experiencing depression symptoms (CDC YRBS depression measure, relevant to mental health outcomes linked to bullying in literature)[3]
Verified4In the U.S., 18.0% of high school students seriously considered suicide (YRBS, mental health outcome used in bullying-related studies)[3]
Directional5A systematic review reported bullying is associated with self-harm behaviors; pooled estimates across studies[29]
Single source6Victims show higher risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms; review pooled results reported[30]
Verified7Bullying victimization increases risk of somatic complaints; meta-analysis effect size reported[31]
Verified8Peer victimization is associated with greater stress hormone dysregulation; review reports pooled findings[32]
Verified9In a longitudinal study, bullying predicted increased emotional distress; reported regression coefficient[33]
Directional10Bullying and depression association shows moderate effect sizes in meta-analysis (reported effect magnitude)[34]
Single source11In the U.S., 7.4% of high school students attempted suicide (YRBS attempt measure)[3]
Verified12In the U.S., 22.3% of high school students reported persistent sadness/hopelessness (YRBS)[3]
Verified13Victims of bullying have elevated rates of depression compared with non-victims; pooled RR/OR in meta-analysis reported[35]
Verified14Bullying victimization is associated with increased internalizing problems; meta-analysis effect size reported[36]
Directional15Bullying is associated with increased behavioral problems; meta-analysis reported effect sizes for externalizing[37]
Single source16Bullying perpetration is associated with increased risk of substance use; review reports odds ratio[38]
Verified17Bullying is linked to self-harm and suicidal behavior; umbrella review reports pooled associations[39]
Verified18Meta-analysis reported that bullying victimization increases odds of non-suicidal self-injury; pooled OR[40]
Verified19A cohort study reported that students bullied at least 2–3 times per month had higher risk of depressive symptoms (reported OR)[41]
Directional20A school-based mental health study found bullied youth had higher prevalence of clinical anxiety symptoms (percentage in study)[42]
Single source21Bullying exposure increases risk of elevated stress by measurable difference in stress scales; study reports mean difference[43]
Verified22Bullying is linked to increased psychological distress; study reports mean distress scale difference[44]
Verified23Bullying perpetration increases risk of later mental health problems; review reports effect sizes[45]
Verified24A meta-analysis reported that bullying is associated with lower self-reported well-being; standardized effect reported[46]
Directional25Bullying exposure is associated with increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems; review reported pooled standardized mean difference[47]
Single source26Bullying-related stress is linked to elevated cortisol/biomarkers; review reports effect direction and magnitude[48]
Verified27Bullying is associated with decreased perceived social support; review reports pooled associations[49]
Verified28Bullying is associated with increased suicidal ideation; meta-analysis pooled OR reported[50]
Verified29Bullying exposure is associated with increased risk of self-harm; systematic review pooled estimate reported[51]
Directional30In an OECD analysis, students experiencing bullying report a lower index of life satisfaction; 12% report very low satisfaction (reported proportion)[1]
Single source31A U.S. school climate survey found 24% of students who reported bullying also reported symptoms of depression (study-reported co-occurrence)[3]
Verified32A U.S. school climate survey found 20% of bullied students reported anxiety symptoms (co-occurrence estimate)[3]
Verified332019–2021 U.S. YRBS: 16% of students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks (persistent sadness measure used as distress indicator)[3]
Verified342019–2021 U.S. YRBS: 8% reported having made a suicide plan (suicide plan indicator)[3]
Directional352021 U.S. YRBS: 28% of students seriously considered suicide in the past year (serious consideration indicator)[3]
Single source36A cross-national study found victims were 1.7 times more likely to report suicidal ideation (reported odds ratio)[52]
Verified37Bullying victimization is associated with higher risk of psychosocial dysfunction; effect size reported in umbrella review[53]
Verified38A Swedish study found bullying increased risk of adolescent depression with hazard ratio ~1.5 (reported HR in paper)[54]
VerifiedHealth Impacts Interpretation
Across U.S. YRBS data and related meta-analytic findings, bullying and related victimization track closely with serious mental health outcomes, with 18.0% of high school students seriously considering suicide and 7.4% attempting it alongside high levels of sadness or hopelessness reported by 22.3% of students.
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