About the 16% of children of age 11 to 15 years old they claim to be victims harassment in the Internet in 2022, a number that marked an increase compared to the previous corresponding survey, data published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed.

“This report is a wake-up call for us to fight harassment and violence wherever and whenever it occurs,” said WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge.

The previous Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) report, based on data from 2018, said 13% of children this age had been harassed online.

Her percentage physical harassment remains constant: 11% of children reported being bullied at school last yearcompared to 10% four years ago.

THE pandemic changed the way teenagers interact, the WHO estimated, explaining that digital forms of violence “began to be particularly enforced” after covid-19, “when the world of young people became increasingly digital during periods of quarantines”.

According to the new report, 15% of boys and 16% of girls said they had been harassed online at least once in the past months.

6 hours on screen

279,000 children and adolescents from 44 countries and regions in Europe, Central Asia and Canada took part in the research.

The highest levels of harassment were recorded among boys at Bulgariathe Lithuaniathe Poland and the Moldovawhile the lowest among boys in Spain, the WHO said without giving further details.

“With young people spending up to six hours a day on the internet, even small changes in rates of harassment and violence can have an impact on the health and well-being of thousands of people,” Kluge commented.

One in eight teenagers admitted to being harassed online by fellow speakers of, a number increased by three points compared to 2018, according to the report.

In most areas cyberbullying peaks at age 11 for boys and 13 for girls.

Although there is not much difference in rates according to parents’ occupation, in Canada more incidents of molestation were reported among the poorest children.

27% of girls from the least affluent 20% of households reported being bullied at school, compared to 21% of girls from the richest 20% of households.

“It is important to educate young people, families and schools about the forms of cyberbullying and its effects, while adopting social media regulations to reduce exposure to cyberbullying,” the report concludes.