In 2023, U.S. teens reported cyberbullying at 46% in the past year, while global data breach reports point to 85 million exposed personal records worldwide. The online risks are not just about harassment either, with phishing and credential takeovers driving a large share of real world harm. This post pulls together the latest Online Safety statistics to show where the threats hit hardest and who is most affected.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, 1 in 3 children experience cyberbullying by age 12, with 80% occurring on social media
- In 2022, 19% of U.S. children aged 9-12 received unwanted sexual solicitations online, per NCMEC
- 22 million children worldwide are at risk of online sexual exploitation daily, according to UNICEF 2023
- In 2023, 46% of American teens aged 13-17 reported experiencing at least one form of cyberbullying in the past year, including name-calling, rumors, or threats online
- Globally, 37% of young people aged 12-18 have been cyberbullied, with girls reporting higher rates at 41% compared to boys at 33%
- In the UK, 25% of children aged 10-15 experienced cyberbullying in 2022, with social media platforms like Instagram being the most common site at 37%
- In 2023, 85 million personal records exposed in data breaches worldwide, affecting 1 in 10 internet users
- U.S. saw 3,205 data breaches in 2023, exposing 353 million records, per Identity Theft Resource Center
- 82% of breaches involved compromised credentials like passwords, Verizon DBIR 2023
- 60% of internet users encountered fake news weekly in 2023, Pew Research
- 48% of U.S. adults believed election misinformation online in 2022 midterms, per MIT study
- WhatsApp forwarded 70% of viral misinformation in India during 2023
- 29% of phishing emails led to data exposure incidents in 2023, Proofpoint
- Global phishing attacks rose 58% in 2023 to 300 million attempts, APWG
- U.S. lost $12.5 billion to phishing-related scams in 2023, FBI IC3
Cyberbullying and online scams affect millions of young people worldwide, and phishing fuels many major data breaches.
Related reading
01 · Category
Child Online Safety24 stats
01
Globally, 1 in 3 children experience cyberbullying by age 12, with 80% occurring on social media
02
In 2022, 19% of U.S. children aged 9-12 received unwanted sexual solicitations online, per NCMEC
03
22 million children worldwide are at risk of online sexual exploitation daily, according to UNICEF 2023
04
16% of girls under 18 in the EU encountered online grooming attempts in 2022, per EU Kids Online
05
In the UK, 1 in 20 children aged 11-16 shared a nude image online, risking exploitation, NSPCC 2023 data
06
U.S. reports of online enticement of children for sex rose 300% from 2014 to 2022, per FBI
07
12% of children in Australia aged 8-15 viewed pornography unintentionally in 2023, leading to safety risks
08
India saw 50 million child sexual abuse material reports online in 2022, per IWF
09
28% of Canadian children aged 10-17 faced unwanted sexual content exposure in 2022
10
Globally, platforms detected 32 million child sexual abuse images in 2023, up 8% from prior year, NCMEC
11
In Brazil, 45% of children aged 9-17 used apps without parental controls, increasing risks, 2023 UNICEF
12
1 in 7 children in the U.S. experienced online sexual solicitation in 2022, per Thorn survey
13
EU reported 1.5 million grooming incidents targeting children online in 2023, per INHOPE
14
South Africa had 25% of children exposed to violent content online by age 10 in 2022
15
18% of Japanese children aged 10-14 received stranger contact requests online in 2023
16
Mexico saw a 150% increase in child sextortion cases from 2020-2023, per INAI
17
23% of U.S. tweens aged 8-12 lied about age to access adult content in 2023, per Common Sense Media
18
Philippines reported 85,000 child exploitation websites hosted domestically in 2022, IWF data
19
15% of UK primary school children encountered harmful sexual content online weekly in 2023
20
In 2023, 91% of parents in France worried about child online predators, but only 42% used monitoring tools
21
Nigeria had 40% of children aged 12-17 sharing personal info publicly online in 2022, UNICEF
22
27% of children in Sweden aged 11-16 faced catfishing attempts in 2023
23
U.S. child online safety hotline calls increased 25% in 2023 to 1.2 million, NCMEC
24
32% of global children under 10 have smartphone access without restrictions, per GSMA 2023
Interpretation
Child Online Safety Interpretation
Across child online safety risks, the scale is especially stark as unwanted sexual solicitations affect 19% of U.S. children aged 9 to 12 and other indicators show rapidly worsening trends like a 300% rise in U.S. reports of online enticement for sex from 2014 to 2022.
02 · Category
Cyberbullying30 stats
01
In 2023, 46% of American teens aged 13-17 reported experiencing at least one form of cyberbullying in the past year, including name-calling, rumors, or threats online
02
Globally, 37% of young people aged 12-18 have been cyberbullied, with girls reporting higher rates at 41% compared to boys at 33%
03
In the UK, 25% of children aged 10-15 experienced cyberbullying in 2022, with social media platforms like Instagram being the most common site at 37%
04
59% of U.S. middle school students reported being cyberbullied in 2021, rising from 35% in 2016, per CDC data
05
Among LGBTQ+ youth, 49% experienced cyberbullying in 2023, compared to 22% of heterosexual youth, according to GLSEN survey
06
In Australia, cyberbullying affected 20% of secondary students in 2022, with 15% receiving unwanted sexual images or requests
07
32% of cyberbullying victims in Europe reported it occurring on gaming platforms like Discord in 2023, per EU Kids Online
08
U.S. teens who experienced cyberbullying were 2.1 times more likely to attempt suicide, based on 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study
09
In India, 28% of urban teens faced cyberbullying via WhatsApp groups in 2023, per NCRB data
10
41% of cyberbullied children in Brazil reported depression symptoms, from a 2022 UNICEF Latin America report
11
Cyberbullying incidents reported to U.S. police increased by 12% from 2021 to 2022, per FBI IC3
12
27% of UK adults experienced cyberbullying at work via email or Slack in 2023, per CIPD survey
13
In South Korea, 15% of students faced school-related cyberbullying in 2022, leading to 5 suicides linked to it
14
Snapchat was involved in 23% of cyberbullying cases among U.S. teens in 2023, per Family Online Safety Institute
15
35% of cyberbullying victims aged 18-24 in Canada hid it from parents, per 2022 StatsCan report
16
In 2023, TikTok reported removing 113 million cyberbullying-related videos
17
29% of U.S. girls aged 13-17 faced body-shaming cyberbullying online in 2022, per Common Sense Media
18
Cyberbullying peaks at age 14, affecting 42% of that cohort in EU surveys from 2023
19
18% of workplace cyberbullying in Japan involved doxxing, per 2022 labor ministry data
20
Instagram DMs were the source of 31% of cyberbullying for UK teens in 2023
21
24% of cyberbullied U.S. teens changed schools as a result in 2022, per NCES
22
In France, 22% of adolescents reported repeated cyberbullying lasting over 6 months in 2023
23
Gaming chat cyberbullying affected 38% of U.S. boys aged 12-15 in 2023, per ESRB
24
33% of cyberbullying in South Africa involved racial slurs in 2022, per Media Monitoring Africa
25
Twitter (X) saw a 15% rise in cyberbullying reports from 2022 to 2023, per company transparency report
26
26% of U.S. college students experienced cyberstalking as bullying in 2023, per NASPA
27
In Germany, 19% of children under 12 faced cyberbullying via family-shared devices in 2022
28
Cyberbullying led to 14% of teen mental health referrals in Australia in 2023, per Beyond Blue
29
40% of repeated cyberbullying victims in Italy developed anxiety disorders, per 2023 Telefono Azzurro study
30
Discord bans for cyberbullying rose 28% globally in 2023
Interpretation
Cyberbullying Interpretation
Cyberbullying is widespread and rising, with U.S. middle schoolers jumping from 35% in 2016 to 59% in 2021, showing how deeply this problem is embedded in everyday online life.
03 · Category
Data Privacy24 stats
01
In 2023, 85 million personal records exposed in data breaches worldwide, affecting 1 in 10 internet users
02
U.S. saw 3,205 data breaches in 2023, exposing 353 million records, per Identity Theft Resource Center
03
82% of breaches involved compromised credentials like passwords, Verizon DBIR 2023
04
GDPR fines reached €2.9 billion since 2018, with 1,200 fines in 2023 alone, EDPB data
05
74% of consumers fear data breaches, leading to 47% changing providers, Pew 2023
06
India reported 1.3 million data leaks in 2023, affecting 500 million users
07
88% of organizations experienced at least one breach in 2023, per Ponemon Institute
08
Average cost of a data breach hit $4.45 million in 2023, up 15% over 3 years, IBM
09
43% of breaches stemmed from phishing, impacting personal data privacy, Verizon 2023
10
EU citizens filed 300,000 privacy complaints in 2023, up 20%, EDPS
11
62% of breached data was customer PII like emails and SSNs, ITRC 2023
12
China had 50 major breaches in 2023 exposing 1 billion records
13
95% of cybersecurity issues due to human error affecting privacy, Help Net Security 2023
14
Brazil's LGPD saw 1,200 breach notifications in 2023
15
70% of users don't read privacy policies, leading to uninformed data sharing
16
MOVEit breach exposed 62 million records across 2,000 orgs in 2023
17
55% of SMEs suffered data breaches costing average $25,000, Cisco 2023
18
Australia reported 1,100 breaches under Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in 2023, OAIC
19
83% of consumers want right to delete data, but only 27% exercised it, Deloitte 2023
20
Optus breach in Australia exposed 10 million customer records in 2022, ongoing impacts 2023
21
40% of data breaches involved cloud misconfigurations in 2023, Palo Alto Networks
22
South Korea fined 15 companies $10 million total for privacy violations in 2023
23
67% of IoT devices vulnerable to privacy leaks in 2023 tests, IoT Analytics
24
U.S. states enacted 15 new privacy laws in 2023, affecting 200 million residents
Interpretation
Data Privacy Interpretation
Data privacy is under mounting pressure as 85 million personal records were exposed in 2023 breaches worldwide, with credentials involved in 82% of incidents, and this constant risk is driving consumers to change providers after 74% report fear of breaches.
More related reading
04 · Category
Misinformation23 stats
01
60% of internet users encountered fake news weekly in 2023, Pew Research
02
48% of U.S. adults believed election misinformation online in 2022 midterms, per MIT study
03
WhatsApp forwarded 70% of viral misinformation in India during 2023
04
76% of COVID-19 misinformation on Twitter was from superspreader accounts in 2022-2023
05
EU fact-checkers debunked 15,000 false claims in 2023, up 25%
06
39% of UK adults shared fake news unknowingly in 2023, Reuters Institute
07
Brazil had 1,200 misinformation-related arrests during 2022 elections, lingering into 2023
08
53% of teens couldn't distinguish fake news from real in 2023 tests, Stanford History Education
09
YouTube removed 1.1 billion misinformation videos in 2023
10
64% of Americans saw political deepfakes in 2023, Pew
11
India banned 34,000 social media accounts for misinformation in 2023
12
82% of misinformation spread faster than fact on X (Twitter) in 2023 studies
13
Australia fined platforms $50 million for failing to curb election misinformation 2023
14
45% of climate change denial posts gained more engagement than facts in 2023
15
Facebook labeled 200 million posts as misinformation in 2023
16
29% of vaccine hesitancy linked to online misinformation in 2023 WHO surveys
17
South Africa saw 500 hate speech cases from misinformation in 2023 elections
18
71% of Gen Z trusts influencers over news, prone to misinformation, Edelman 2023
19
TikTok took down 100 million misinformation videos on health in 2023
20
55% of conspiracy theories traced to 10% of accounts in 2023 network analysis
21
Canada passed law fining misinformation spreaders up to $20,000in 2023
22
67% of false health claims on Instagram reached 1 million views in 2023
23
Germany removed 50,000 deepfake videos in 2023 under NetzDG
Interpretation
Misinformation Interpretation
Misinformation online is accelerating across platforms, with 60% of users seeing fake news weekly in 2023 and EU fact-checkers debunking 15,000 false claims in 2023 up 25%, showing that the problem is large and getting harder to manage.
05 · Category
Phishing And Scams29 stats
01
29% of phishing emails led to data exposure incidents in 2023, Proofpoint
02
Global phishing attacks rose 58% in 2023 to 300 million attempts, APWG
03
U.S. lost $12.5 billion to phishing-related scams in 2023, FBI IC3
04
36% of breaches started with phishing, costing average $4.76 million, Verizon DBIR 2023
05
BEC scams defrauded $2.9 billion globally in 2023, with 91% via email phishing, FBI
06
90% of ransomware attacks begin with phishing emails, Sophos 2023
07
India reported 1.6 million phishing complaints in 2023, up 35%, CERT-In
08
Smishing (SMS phishing) attacks increased 328% in 2023, Proofpoint
09
Average phishing site lifespan was 25 hours in 2023, detecting 255,000 unique sites daily, APWG
10
68% of businesses faced phishing attempts weekly in 2023, KnowBe4
11
Tech support scams cost U.S. victims $1.1 billion in 2023, FTC
12
Spear-phishing success rate was 85% against untrained users in 2023 tests, Proofpoint
13
UK lost £1.2 billion to purchase scams via phishing links in 2023, Action Fraud
14
83% of phishing sites used HTTPS for credibility in 2023, Zscaler's ThreatLabz
15
Romance scams via phishing defrauded $1.3 billion in U.S. 2023, FTC
16
47% of organizations used AI-generated phishing in 2023, first year of rise, SlashNext
17
Canada reported 25,000 phishing scam losses totaling $50 million CAD in 2023, CAFC
18
Vishing calls impersonating banks rose 140% in 2023, First Orion
19
91% of cyberattacks start with phishing email, Google 2023 security report
20
Investment scams via phishing crypto links cost $3.9 billion globally 2023, Chainalysis
21
75% of phishing emails bypassed secure email gateways in 2023, Mimecast
22
Elderly victims lost $3.4 billion to tech support phishing scams in 2023, FBI
23
Australia had 300,000 phishing reports leading to $100 million losses in 2023, ACCC
24
56% of successful phishing led to ransomware deployment in 2023, Sophos
25
65% of people clicked phishing links in simulated tests 2023, Keepnet Labs
26
Fake parcel delivery phishing emails surged 600% during holidays 2023, Barracuda
27
72 million Americans fell for phishing scams in 2023, AAG
28
Deepfake phishing audio fooled 30% of users in 2023 experiments
29
42% of phishing targeted financial data in 2023, APWG Q4 report
Interpretation
Phishing And Scams Interpretation
Phishing is driving major real world damage, with global phishing attempts jumping to 300 million in 2023 and 36% of breaches starting with it, costing an average $4.76 million.
report visual · Comparison
Cyberbullying exposure varies by group
Cyberbullying rates differ significantly by demographic, with girls and LGBTQ+ youth reporting higher experiences.
Among LGBTQ+ youth, 49% experienced cyberbullying in 2023, compared to 22% of heterosexual youth, according to GLSEN sur49%
In 2023, 46% of American teens aged 13-17 reported experiencing at least one form of cyberbullying in the past year, inc
46%
Globally, 37% of young people aged 12-18 have been cyberbullied, with girls reporting higher rates at 41% compared to bo
37%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Online Safety Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-safety-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Online Safety Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/online-safety-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Online Safety Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-safety-statistics.
Sources & references
98 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level