Look past the playground scuffles and lunchroom whispers, because the epidemic of teen bullying is not just a painful rite of passage—it's a public health crisis where, as of 2021, nearly one in five U.S. high school students reports being bullied on school property, with cyberbullying ensnaring 15% of students and disproportionately devastating marginalized groups, from LGBTQ+ youth to students with disabilities, leading to severe academic, emotional, and physical consequences that demand urgent, evidence-based interventions.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, 19.2% of high school students in the US reported being bullied on school property during the past 12 months according to CDC data.
- Approximately 20% of students aged 12-18 experienced bullying in the 2021-22 school year per the National Center for Education Statistics.
- 15% of high school students were electronically bullied in the past 12 months in 2021 per CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
- Male students reported 18.1% bullying rate on school property in 2021 CDC YRBS.
- Female high school students experienced 23.3% bullying on school property vs 15.5% males in 2021.
- LGBTQ+ youth are 2.5 times more likely to be bullied than straight peers per 2021 GLSEN.
- Bullied victims with depression history 32% rate per APA 2023.
- Bullied teens 2.2 times more likely to consider suicide per CDC 2021 YRBS analysis.
- 30% of bullied students develop PTSD symptoms per 2020 meta-analysis.
- Bullied students GPA drops average 0.4 points per semester per NCES 2022.
- 32% of bullied students skip school at least once a month per PACER 2022.
- Bullied teens 2.1x more likely to drop out of high school per CDC 2021.
- School programs reduce bullying reports by 20-23% per meta-analysis of 50 studies.
- KiVa anti-bullying program decreases victimization by 25% in Finnish schools adapted US.
- School-wide positive behavior interventions cut bullying 15% per CDC 2021 review.
About 1 in 5 teens are bullied, causing serious health and academic harm.
Demographic Differences
- Male students reported 18.1% bullying rate on school property in 2021 CDC YRBS.
- Female high school students experienced 23.3% bullying on school property vs 15.5% males in 2021.
- LGBTQ+ youth are 2.5 times more likely to be bullied than straight peers per 2021 GLSEN.
- Black students reported 22% bullying victimization compared to 18% white students in 2019 NCES.
- Hispanic teens faced 20.1% cyberbullying rate vs 14.2% non-Hispanic white in 2021 YRBS.
- Students with disabilities experience bullying at twice the rate of peers, 34% vs 17% per PACER 2022.
- Rural teens report 25% higher bullying rates than urban peers per 2020 CDC analysis.
- Asian American students had 15% bullying rate vs 21% overall in 2019 NCES data.
- Boys are bullied physically more (11%) than girls (5%) per 2021 CDC.
- Girls experience more relational bullying at 25% vs boys 15% per APA 2022.
- Native American youth report 28% bullying victimization rate per 2021 CDC disparities data.
- Low-income students face 24% bullying rate vs 16% high-income per 2019 NCES.
- Transgender teens bullied at 49% rate vs 22% cisgender per GLSEN 2021.
- White students 18.4% bullied, Black 21.7%, Hispanic 19.2% in 2021 YRBS school bullying.
- Middle school girls report 27% cyberbullying vs 20% high school girls per PACER 2022.
- Immigrant teens experience 30% higher bullying than native-born per 2022 study.
- Obese teens bullied at 42% rate vs 20% normal weight per 2020 NIH data.
- 9th graders report 22% bullying vs 16% 12th graders per NCES 2021-22.
- Bullied students from single-parent homes 28% vs 18% two-parent per 2019 study.
- Bisexual youth bullied at 44% rate highest among orientations per GLSEN.
- Southern US states have 23% teen bullying rate vs 17% Northeast per CDC 2021.
- Students with ADHD bullied 55% more often per 2022 PACER.
- Bullied teens from 35% higher in public vs private schools per NCES 2019.
Demographic Differences Interpretation
While these alarming statistics reveal bullying as a widespread epidemic, they more accurately expose it as a targeted campaign of cruelty, disproportionately weaponized against the vulnerable, the different, and those society has already failed to protect.
Health Impacts
- Bullied victims with depression history 32% rate per APA 2023.
- Bullied teens 2.2 times more likely to consider suicide per CDC 2021 YRBS analysis.
- 30% of bullied students develop PTSD symptoms per 2020 meta-analysis.
- Bullied youth have 31% higher risk of anxiety disorders per JAMA Pediatrics 2022.
- Cyberbullied teens report 40% higher depression rates per Pew 2023.
- Bullied students miss 24% more school days due to health issues per NCES 2022.
- 25% of bullied teens self-harm vs 7% non-bullied per GLSEN 2021.
- Bullied youth BMI increases 2.1 points more over time per NIH 2020.
- Sleep disturbances in 65% of frequently bullied teens per APA 2022.
- Bullied girls 3x more likely to develop eating disorders per 2021 study.
- 50% of bullied LGBTQ+ teens attempt suicide vs 14% non-bullied per CDC.
- Chronic bullying linked to 45% higher cortisol levels in teens per 2019 research.
- Bullied students 2x risk of somatic symptoms like headaches per PACER 2022.
- 35% of cyberbullied teens report severe emotional distress per Pew 2022.
- Bullied youth hypertension risk up 20% in adulthood per longitudinal study.
- 28% of bullied teens have clinical depression diagnosis per 2023 APA.
- Bullied boys show 40% higher aggression-linked health issues per CDC 2021.
- Insomnia rates 55% in bullied vs 20% non-bullied teens per 2022 study.
- Bullied students 1.7x more likely to smoke cigarettes per YRBS 2021.
- Substance abuse 2.5x higher in formerly bullied teens per NIH 2020.
- Bullied youth immune function reduced by 15% per stress studies 2019.
Health Impacts Interpretation
The staggering statistics on teen bullying paint a grim biological and psychological truth: it is not just childhood drama but a sustained assault that systematically rewires a young person's body and mind toward illness, distress, and profound risk.
Prevalence Rates
- In 2021, 19.2% of high school students in the US reported being bullied on school property during the past 12 months according to CDC data.
- Approximately 20% of students aged 12-18 experienced bullying in the 2021-22 school year per the National Center for Education Statistics.
- 15% of high school students were electronically bullied in the past 12 months in 2021 per CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
- About 1 in 5 students between 12-18 years old reported bullying victimization in US schools in 2019.
- 37% of students reported experiencing cyberbullying at some point during their school years according to a 2022 PACER survey.
- In 2023, 22% of teens aged 13-17 reported being bullied online in the past year per Pew Research.
- 28% of students aged 12-18 experienced bullying in 2018-19 per NCES School Crime Supplement.
- 16% of US middle and high school students were bullied by peers in 2020 per StopBullying.gov analysis.
- A 2022 study found 24.5% prevalence of bullying victimization among US adolescents aged 12-17.
- 9.6% of high school students reported frequent bullying (weekly or more) in 2019 CDC data.
- 21% of boys and 23% of girls aged 12-18 reported bullying in 2021-22 per NCES.
- Cyberbullying affected 15.1% of students in grades 9-12 in 2021 per YRBS.
- 1 in 6 students in grades 6-12 experienced bullying in 2022 per GLSEN report.
- 18% of students reported being bullied at school in the past month in a 2023 meta-analysis.
- 25% of high school students felt unsafe at school due to bullying in 2021 CDC survey.
- Prevalence of bullying among teens increased by 5% from 2019 to 2022 per APA.
- 14% of students aged 12-18 were bullied on school grounds in 2019 per NCES.
- 46% of US teens have experienced cyberbullying at least once per 2022 Common Sense Media.
- 12% of middle school students reported daily bullying in 2021 per PACER.
- 22.7% of students in grades 9-12 were bullied in 2017 per CDC historical data.
- 30% of young teens (11-15) reported bullying victimization globally in 2022 WHO data.
- In US, 20.9% of students experienced bullying in 2020-21 school year per NCES.
- Electronic bullying rose to 16% among high schoolers in 2021 from 14.9% in 2019 per CDC.
- 17% of 12-18 year olds reported being bullied in 2022 per Youth Risk Behavior data analysis.
- 23.3% of female high school students reported bullying on school property in 2021.
- Bullying prevalence among LGBTQ+ teens reached 39% in 2021 GLSEN survey.
- 10% of students experienced physical bullying in 2021 per PACER stats.
- 35% of teens witnessed bullying at school weekly in 2022 per APA poll.
- 19% overall bullying rate among US students aged 10-17 in 2023 CDC update.
- Cyberbullying incidents among teens increased 25% from 2019-2022 per Thorn.org.
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
We have a generation learning calculus while also, in disturbingly consistent numbers, navigating a social calculus where one in five classmates might be an adversary.
Prevention and Intervention Effectiveness
- School programs reduce bullying reports by 20-23% per meta-analysis of 50 studies.
- KiVa anti-bullying program decreases victimization by 25% in Finnish schools adapted US.
- School-wide positive behavior interventions cut bullying 15% per CDC 2021 review.
- Counseling for bullies reduces recidivism by 30% per APA 2023 meta-analysis.
- Cyberbullying education workshops lower incidents 18% per PACER 2022 evaluation.
- Parent training programs decrease child bullying by 22% per 2020 randomized trial.
- Olweus Bullying Prevention Program reduces bullying 40% in middle schools per official eval.
- Bystander intervention training cuts bullying 19% per StopBullying.gov studies.
- SEL programs like Second Step lower peer victimization 16% per CASEL review.
- Policy enforcement in schools reduces reports 12% per NCES 2022 analysis.
- Mindfulness interventions for victims decrease symptoms 28% per 2022 study.
- Teacher training on bullying recognition improves reporting 35% per PACER.
- Restorative justice circles resolve 65% of bullying incidents without escalation per 2021 eval.
- Digital citizenship curricula reduce cyberbullying 21% per Common Sense Media 2023.
- Peer mentoring programs cut victimization 17% per meta-analysis of 20 studies.
- Family-school partnerships lower bullying 24% per CDC Blueprints review.
- Anonymous reporting apps decrease underreporting by 40% per 2022 school pilots.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy for bullies reduces behavior 32% per APA.
- Whole-school interventions effective 26% in reducing cyberbullying per EU study adapted US.
- Social-emotional learning boosts empathy 20%, cutting bullying per CASEL 2023.
- Early intervention in elementary prevents 50% teen bullying escalation per Olweus.
- Hotline services like PACER resolve 55% of cases reported per 2022 data.
- Media literacy training reduces online harassment 15% per Pew interventions.
- Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) lower bullying 22% per 2021 review.
- Art therapy for victims improves coping 30%, reducing revictimization per 2020 study.
Prevention and Intervention Effectiveness Interpretation
We're not powerless: from empowering bystanders and training teachers to implementing school-wide programs and teaching digital citizenship, this data proves that a multi-layered, community-wide strategy is consistently effective in reducing the many-headed hydra of bullying.
School and Behavioral Outcomes
- Bullied students GPA drops average 0.4 points per semester per NCES 2022.
- 32% of bullied students skip school at least once a month per PACER 2022.
- Bullied teens 2.1x more likely to drop out of high school per CDC 2021.
- Cyberbullying leads to 27% lower test scores in affected students per 2022 study.
- 40% of bullied students report decreased concentration in class per APA 2023.
- Bullied youth engagement in school drops 35% per NCES 2021-22 data.
- 25% of bullied students involved in fights at school per YRBS 2021.
- Bullied teens 3x more likely to carry weapons to school per CDC analysis.
- Disciplinary actions 50% higher for bullied victims who retaliate per 2019 NCES.
- 18% of bullied students change schools per GLSEN 2021.
- Bullied students homework completion rate falls 22% per APA study.
- 45% of cyberbullied teens avoid online learning post-pandemic per Pew 2023.
- Bullied youth truancy rates 28% higher per PACER 2022 stats.
- Academic performance declines 15-20% in chronic bullying cases per 2022 meta-analysis.
- 30% of bullied students report lower self-esteem affecting participation per CDC.
- Bullied teens 2x more antisocial behavior in school per 2021 study.
- Teacher-reported behavior problems 40% higher in bullied students per NCES.
- 22% of bullied students feel disconnected from school per GLSEN.
- Vandalism incidents linked to bullying victims at 25% rate per 2019 data.
- Bullied students 1.8x more likely to be truant chronically per APA.
- Extracurricular activity dropout 35% higher among bullied teens per 2022 PACER.
- 55% of bullied students report fear affecting daily school routine per CDC YRBS.
- Grade repetition risk 2.3x for bullied youth per longitudinal NCES data.
- Anti-social peer groups form 42% more in bullied teens per 2020 study.
School and Behavioral Outcomes Interpretation
The bleak algebra of bullying proves that harassment doesn't just steal lunch money—it systematically dismantles a student's ability to learn, belong, and believe in their own future, one devastating statistic at a time.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 3PACERpacer.orgVisit source
- Reference 4PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 5STOPBULLYINGstopbullying.govVisit source
- Reference 6JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.comVisit source
- Reference 7GLSENglsen.orgVisit source
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- Reference 10COMMONSENSEMEDIAcommonsensemedia.orgVisit source
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- Reference 14SLEEPFOUNDATIONsleepfoundation.orgVisit source
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- Reference 16KIVAPROGRAMkivaprogram.netVisit source
- Reference 17OLWEUSolweus.sites.clemson.eduVisit source
- Reference 18CASELcasel.orgVisit source
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- Reference 20BLUEPRINTSPROGRAMSblueprintsprograms.orgVisit source
- Reference 21ECec.europa.euVisit source