The study on youth milieus from 2023 examines the topic of cyberbullying, among other things. It surveyed 2,003 young people between the ages of 14 and 17.
Experiences of cyberbullying have increased compared to the previous year. Overall, around 61% of the young people surveyed stated that they had experienced cyberbullying in 2023, an increase of two percentage points compared to 2022. 16% of those surveyed also stated that they had been cyberbullied themselves and 4% admitted to having been bullied online. In particular, young people categorised by the creators of the study as consumer materialists are the most frequent witnesses, targets and also perpetrators of cyberbullying. The study emphasises that cyberbullying continues to take place primarily on WhatsApp, followed by TikTok, which overtakes Instagram. The most common types of cyberbullying are insults, spreading false rumours and social exclusion.
As in 2022, the first point of contact for seeking help in cases of cyberbullying is one’s own parents, followed by friends. In just under a quarter of cases, young people do not seek any help.
Respondents see the consistent deletion of bullying persons and conspicuous posts (69%), increased education (61%) and the establishment of a central reporting centre (58%) as measures to prevent cyberbullying. The use of artificial intelligence to recognise and prevent cyberbullying is seen as promising by 45%. Overall, the study shows that cyberbullying continues to be a serious problem and that preventative measures and education play a key role in counteracting this phenomenon.
