Cyberbullying prevalent among California grade schoolers

One in five California students in the 7th, 9th, and 11th grades were cyberbullied from 2015-2017 and students with low levels of school connectedness were more likely to be victimized online than their more connected peers reports Kidsdata.org.

Ensuring students feel safe and connected to their schools can diminish the prevalence of cyberbullying. There were 12% of California students with low levels of school connectedness who were cyberbullied four or more times, compared with about 3% of those with high levels of school connectedness in grades 7, 9, 11, and non-traditional programs.

Cyberbullying is not as easily detectable as in-person bullying and is a growing concern among teachers and families as more children and youth communicate online and via social media.

Cyberbullying can often be an extension of in-person bullying at school, worsening the social and emotional stress on children. According to a study from the U.S. Department of Justice, experiencing a mix of online and in-person harassment had the highest negative emotional impact on children compared with in-person only and online-only incidents.

See more data on how the prevalence of cyberbullying varies by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation.