Nearly 15 percent of kids ages 9-12 are experiencing cyberbullying, while some 16 percent of high school students are affected. High school and middle school teachers also report that cyberbullying happens frequently in 1 in 5 classrooms.

Of all the social networks, kids on YouTube are the most likely to be cyberbullied at 79 percent, followed by Snapchat at 69 percent, TikTok at 64 percent, and Facebook at 49 percent, according to research from Security.org.

Research also found that, as a child’s age increased, so did the likelihood of cyberbullying. As the child aged in two-year intervals between the ages of 10 and 18, their likelihood of being cyberbullied increased by 2 percent.

Children from households with annual incomes of under $75,000 were twice as likely to be cyberbullied than kids from homes with annual incomes of over $75,000 (22 versus 11 percent).

As teens and young adults spend more of their time online, cyberbullying has become a major issue. The fact that perpetrators hide behind screens does not make the effects of cyberbullying any less damaging to those involved. Teens themselves agree that cyberbullying is a major problem but do not feel like those in charge are doing enough to address it. Anti-bullying organizations and campaigns aim to educate and empower people to prevent and handle cyberbullying, but the overall feeling from today’s youth is that social media companies and our elected officials should do more to prevent cyberbullying and protect kids online. For more information on how to prevent and handle cyberbullying, check out these cyberbullying resources.