About 16% of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13% four years ago, says a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries, cited by AFP.
The highest levels of cyberbullying were seen by boys in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Moldova and Poland, while the lowest levels were reported in Spain, the WHO said, without providing detailed data.
"This report is a wake-up call for all of us to tackle bullying and violence whenever and wherever it happens," said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge.
15% of boys and 16% of girls reported being cyberbullied at least once in recent months, according to the survey, titled Healthy Behavior in School-Aged Children.
The UN agency noted that the pandemic has changed the way adolescents behave towards each other.
"Virtual forms of peer-on-peer violence have become particularly relevant since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when young people's worlds became increasingly virtual during their lockdown," the report said.
Other forms of bullying have remained largely stable with only a slight increase.
11% of boys and girls reported being bullied at school at least two or three times a month in the past few months, up from 10% four years ago.
"With young people spending up to six hours online every day, even small changes in levels of bullying and violence can have profound effects on the health and well-being of thousands of people," Kluge said.
1 in 8 adolescents admitted to cyberbullying others, an increase of 3 percent from 2018, the report said.
Meanwhile, the number of adolescents who engaged in physical fighting remained stable over the four-year period at 10% - 14% for boys and 6% for girls.
The study is based on data from 279,000 children and adolescents from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada.
In most places, cyberbullying peaked when children were 11 years old for boys and 13 years old for girls.
According to the report, the socio-economic status of parents does not have a major impact on children's behavior.
The exception was Canada, where disadvantaged youth were more likely to be bullied.
There, 27% of girls belonging to the 20% least affluent families said they had been bullied at school, compared with 21% of girls among the 20% most affluent families.
Noting that the problem is widespread, the report calls for more efforts to improve awareness.
"More investment is needed in monitoring various forms of peer violence," the report says.
"There is also an urgent need to educate young people, families and schools about forms of cyberbullying and its consequences, while regulating social media platforms to limit exposure to cyberbullying," it concludes. /BGNES
