While violence among children and youth has decreased around the world since 2018, cyberbullying is on the rise, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report co-written by a Brock researcher.

“We can celebrate the trend that many of the traditional forms of adolescent violence are going down, but our report issues a word of caution about the uptick in cyberbullying,” says Professor of Health Sciences William Pickett, one of the lead authors of “A focus on adolescent peer violence and bullying in Europe, central Asia and Canada.”

These forms of violence include indicators like bullying, aggression, physical altercations, psychological abuse and cyberbullying.

Using 2021 and 2022 data on adolescents ages 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries, the researchers examined the role of gender, age and social inequality in adolescent peer violence along with changes in adolescent bullying and physical violence over time.

They found that the experiences of boys and girls have become more similar over time as virtual forms of violence have increased while “face-to-face” forms of violence in boys have decreased.

“In these countries, including Canada, there have been a lot of effective policies and programs to address violence at the school and societal levels,” he says. “Also, I think this type of behaviour is less socially acceptable and common compared to the past.”

But there is still much to learn about why the gap between boys’ and girls’ violent behaviours is narrowing, says Pickett.

“The world is changing for kids. They’re living in a world that is more and more engaged in social media made by adults. We’re finding out just how profound that is on the health and development of kids,” he says.

The researchers found cyberbullying is on the rise, with one in six school-aged children experiencing cyberbullying in the countries examined. Pickett says this trend is not unexpected given young peoples’ lives “are more virtual,” particularly following COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Key findings in the report include:

• An average of six per cent of the teens surveyed bully others at school, while 11 per cent say they’ve been bullied at school.
• One in eight teens report cyberbullying others, while one in six teens have experienced cyberbullying.
• One in 10 teens have been involved in physical fights.

“These findings serve as a stark reminder that despite some improvements, violence in many forms remains prevalent in our young people, and this remains an important focus for public health, clinical and educational efforts,” says Pickett.

The report is the latest in a series arising from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a school-based study carried out in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Canada has participated since 1989, and Brock University became involved in 2020.

The cross-national study collects information every four years on the well-being, health behaviours and social contexts of youth aged 11 to 15.

Pickett co-leads the HBSC in Canada, which collects anonymous data from students in Grades 6 to 10 on a wide range of topics. He says a report focused on Canada is expected to be released later this year.