In 2019, 34% of adolescents who reported online harassment said it happened on social media. That concentration matters because cyberbullying is linked to worse mental health outcomes, including increased depression risk with an odds ratio of 1.39. Meta also actioned 3.2 billion harassment and bullying removals during 2023, reflecting how frequently this harm appears on major platforms.
Key Takeaways
- 34% of adolescents who reported online harassment said the harassment happened on social media (2019, systematic survey data).
- 53% of LGB youth reported experiencing cyberbullying or harassment online (2019).
- 41% of transgender youth reported being harassed online (2015, U.S. survey reported by national survey analysis).
- Girls were 1.4 times more likely than boys to experience cyberbullying in a 2018 meta-analysis.
- Cyberbullying was associated with increased risk of depression in a meta-analysis (odds ratio 1.39).
- Cyberbullying victimization showed a small-to-moderate association with anxiety symptoms (standardized mean difference about 0.35) in a meta-analysis.
- Cyberbullying victimization was associated with reduced self-esteem (effect size about −0.33) in a meta-analysis (2018).
- YouTube removed 10 million+ videos for policy violations related to harassment/bullying in 2022 (YouTube transparency report).
- Google removed 1.6 million items for harassment and bullying across Search in 2022 (Google Transparency Report).
- Reddit reported receiving 4.3 million reports related to harassment and hate in Q2 2022 (Reddit Transparency Report).
- The proportion of internet users who have experienced online harassment was 26% in 2022 across surveyed countries (OECD broadband/online safety dataset as cited in OECD report).
- The content moderation market is projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2028 (forecast by MarketsandMarkets).
- The global AI moderation software market is projected to grow to $2.8 billion by 2026 (forecast by vendor research).
- 57% of teens who report online harassment say they encountered it on social media platforms (2019 U.S. survey summary).
- 72% of youth who have experienced online harassment said they would like support from parents/guardians or trusted adults to deal with it (2019 UNICEF youth survey findings).
Cyberbullying on social media is widespread and linked to major mental health harms, especially for LGBTQ youth.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates1 stats
01
34% of adolescents who reported online harassment said the harassment happened on social media (2019, systematic survey data).
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
For the prevalence rates angle, 34% of adolescents who reported online harassment said it occurred on social media in 2019, indicating that a substantial share of cyberbullying is happening on these platforms.
02 · Category
Demographic Differences6 stats
01
53% of LGB youth reported experiencing cyberbullying or harassment online (2019).
02
41% of transgender youth reported being harassed online (2015, U.S. survey reported by national survey analysis).
03
Girls were 1.4 times more likely than boys to experience cyberbullying in a 2018 meta-analysis.
04
LGB youth were 2.2x more likely than heterosexual youth to report online harassment in a 2018 U.S. survey.
05
Students who identified as non-heterosexual reported higher cyberbullying exposure (odds ratio 1.7) in a meta-analysis (2016).
06
Students aged 13–15 reported higher cyberbullying victimization than older adolescents in a 2017 systematic review (2017).
Interpretation
Demographic Differences Interpretation
Under the demographic differences angle, cyberbullying risk is not evenly distributed as LGB youth report much higher online harassment at 53%, transgender youth at 41%, and youth who are non-heterosexual show elevated exposure with an odds ratio of 1.7, with age also playing a role since those aged 13 to 15 report higher victimization than older adolescents.
03 · Category
Psychological Impact10 stats
01
Cyberbullying was associated with increased risk of depression in a meta-analysis (odds ratio 1.39).
02
Cyberbullying victimization showed a small-to-moderate association with anxiety symptoms (standardized mean difference about 0.35) in a meta-analysis.
03
Cyberbullying victimization was associated with reduced self-esteem (effect size about −0.33) in a meta-analysis (2018).
04
In a 2017 study, 1 in 3 cyberbullying victims reported self-harm ideation (prevalence 33%) in the past year.
05
A meta-analysis found a significant association between cyberbullying and suicidal ideation (pooled risk ratio 1.75).
06
Cyberbullying was linked to sleep problems with an odds ratio of 1.28 in a 2020 observational synthesis.
07
Cybervictims reported higher emotional distress scores than non-victims by about 0.4 SD in a 2016 meta-analysis.
08
A 2021 meta-analysis reported that cyberbullying perpetration is associated with increased depressive symptoms (effect size g≈0.30).
09
A 2019 study found that cyberbullying victimization explained about 10% of variance in depressive symptoms in a regression model (R²≈0.10).
10
Cyberbullying exposure was associated with higher post-traumatic stress symptoms in a meta-analysis (standardized effect size around 0.33).
Interpretation
Psychological Impact Interpretation
Overall, the psychological impact is clearly substantial, with cyberbullying associated with a 39% higher odds of depression and a 1.75 pooled risk ratio for suicidal ideation, along with notable links to anxiety symptoms (SMD about 0.35), reduced self-esteem (about −0.33), and even sleep problems (OR 1.28).
04 · Category
Platform Enforcement3 stats
01
YouTube removed 10 million+ videos for policy violations related to harassment/bullying in 2022 (YouTube transparency report).
02
Google removed 1.6 million items for harassment and bullying across Search in 2022 (Google Transparency Report).
03
Reddit reported receiving 4.3 million reports related to harassment and hate in Q2 2022 (Reddit Transparency Report).
Interpretation
Platform Enforcement Interpretation
Under platform enforcement, YouTube took down 10 million plus bullying or harassment videos in 2022 alongside Google removing 1.6 million harmful items from Search, while Reddit logged 4.3 million harassment and hate reports in just Q2 2022, showing that enforcement actions and user reporting are scaling up across major platforms.
05 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
The proportion of internet users who have experienced online harassment was 26% in 2022 across surveyed countries (OECD broadband/online safety dataset as cited in OECD report).
02
The content moderation market is projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2028 (forecast by MarketsandMarkets).
03
The global AI moderation software market is projected to grow to $2.8 billion by 2026 (forecast by vendor research).
04
In 2023, the EU Digital Services Act created a compliance regime covering 19 million online service providers (including hosting and platforms) across the EU (European Commission guidance referencing scope).
05
In 2020, the U.S. National Academies reported that algorithmic amplification can increase exposure to harmful content by a factor of 2 to 10 under certain conditions (harmful content amplification discussion in report).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show that online harassment affected 26% of internet users in 2022 while rapid policy and technology shifts, such as the EU’s Digital Services Act covering 19 million online providers and moderation markets projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2028, signal a growing, investment driven push to curb the spread of harmful content.
More related reading
06 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
57% of teens who report online harassment say they encountered it on social media platforms (2019 U.S. survey summary).
02
72% of youth who have experienced online harassment said they would like support from parents/guardians or trusted adults to deal with it (2019 UNICEF youth survey findings).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
From a user adoption angle, the fact that 57% of teens who report online harassment encountered it on social media and that 72% of youth want support from trusted adults suggests these platforms are where the most help-seeking demand is concentrated, making proactive support essential for retaining and protecting users.
07 · Category
Prevalence & Exposure2 stats
01
38% of adolescents with online harassment reported it as affecting their wellbeing “a lot” (2021 global survey finding summarized by UNICEF).
02
24% of U.S. teens reported experiencing at least one form of cyberbullying (2023 survey figure reported by JAMA Network Open study).
Interpretation
Prevalence & Exposure Interpretation
In the prevalence and exposure category, 24% of U.S. teens report experiencing cyberbullying and among those who face online harassment, 38% say it affects their wellbeing “a lot,” underscoring that exposure is common and often has serious impact.
08 · Category
Policy & Enforcement3 stats
01
3.2 billion reported messages and/or content removals related to harassment/bullying were actioned by Meta during 2023 as part of its Community Standards enforcement transparency reporting (actioned content volume).
02
OpenAI reported that it blocked or prevented 99.6% of disallowed content for certain safety categories during model evaluation in its safety reporting (high-level prevention rate).
03
62% of countries reported having national policy or guidance addressing cyberbullying/online harassment (2020 UNESCO survey of policy landscape).
Interpretation
Policy & Enforcement Interpretation
Across Policy and Enforcement, major platforms and governments are stepping up with enforcement that actioned 3.2 billion harassment or bullying removals on Meta in 2023 while OpenAI blocked or prevented 99.6% of disallowed content in safety category testing, and 62% of countries report having national policy or guidance on cyberbullying or online harassment.
09 · Category
Mental Health Impact6 stats
01
Cyberbullying victimization is associated with increased risk of depression with a pooled risk ratio of 1.39 (meta-analysis).
02
Cyberbullying victimization shows a standardized mean difference of approximately 0.35 with anxiety symptoms (meta-analysis).
03
Cyberbullying perpetration is associated with increased depressive symptoms with effect size g around 0.30 (meta-analysis).
04
In a meta-analysis, cyberbullying is associated with increased suicidal ideation with pooled risk ratio of 1.75 (meta-analysis).
05
Cyberbullying victimization is associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms with standardized effect size around 0.33 in a meta-analysis (pooled association).
06
Cybervictims report higher emotional distress scores by about 0.40 standard deviations compared with non-victims (2016 meta-analysis).
Interpretation
Mental Health Impact Interpretation
Across the Mental Health Impact research, cyberbullying involvement is consistently linked to worse psychological outcomes, with victimization showing a 1.39 pooled risk ratio for depression and a 1.75 pooled risk ratio for suicidal ideation along with moderate elevations in anxiety, distress, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (effect sizes around 0.33 to 0.40).
10 · Category
Industry & Markets3 stats
01
The global social network market was valued at about $117 billion in 2023, supporting the user base where cyberbullying can occur (industry market sizing by data firm).
02
The global social media advertising market reached roughly $201 billion in 2023 (ad spend scale where moderation and harassment ad risks can intersect).
03
The online safety and content moderation software market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 16% from 2024 to 2030 (market forecast).
Interpretation
Industry & Markets Interpretation
With the social network market reaching about $117 billion in 2023 and social media ad spending around $201 billion, the industry is large enough that the expected 16% CAGR growth in online safety and content moderation software from 2024 signals rising market momentum to curb cyberbullying as platforms and advertisers expand.
report visual · Comparison
Who is affected by cyberbullying online
Reported cyberbullying/harassment varies substantially across groups, highlighting disproportionate impact on LGBTQ+ youth.
72% of youth who have experienced online harassment said they would like support from parents/guardians or trusted adult72%
53% of LGB youth reported experiencing cyberbullying or harassment online (2019).
53%
41% of transgender youth reported being harassed online (2015, U.S. survey reported by national survey analysis).
41%
34% of adolescents who reported online harassment said the harassment happened on social media (2019, systematic survey
34%
source-verifiedglaad.org · transequality.org · oecd.org · unicef-irc.org2019
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Cyberbullying On Social Media Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cyberbullying-on-social-media-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Cyberbullying On Social Media Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cyberbullying-on-social-media-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Cyberbullying On Social Media Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cyberbullying-on-social-media-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)