Study: online bullying remains a major problem among young people
A new youth poll reports that 16 per cent have experienced online bullying, but does not prove an increase or an AI trend.
There is news on this story (Thursday, 8 October 2026, 08:41): AI makes it easier to spread humiliation among young people
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Online bullying remains a common form of transgressive behaviour, according to a new Dutch youth poll. The researchers also report that artificial intelligence offers new ways to humiliate people, but available public figures do not yet show that AI use or online bullying has demonstrably increased nationwide.
In the State of Youth poll by KidsRights, 16 per cent of young people say they have experienced online bullying. The poll covers experiences of safety and transgressive behaviour and also reports that 63 per cent of participants sometimes or often feel unsafe.
The figures are not a time series. It therefore cannot be inferred from this publication that online bullying is rising again compared with last year. Nor is it clear what proportion of the reported experiences was directly related to generative AI.
AI can change bullying, however. The youth health guideline cites, among other things, the use of AI to create humiliating images or messages. The European Commission describes cyberbullying as repeated or continuous digital behaviour that humiliates, excludes or harms someone.
Dutch young people are not harassed online only by strangers. Earlier CBS figures on online crime show that online bullying occurs relatively often in relationships between school pupils or students. Digital messages and images can be forwarded quickly and therefore remain visible for longer than an incident in the school playground.
The policy question is who should intervene. Schools can make agreements on behaviour and reporting, platforms can remove messages and restrict accounts, and parents and support workers can assist young people. Without better and repeated measurements, however, it remains difficult to establish whether the scale is changing and precisely what role AI plays.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A new youth poll reports that 16 per cent have experienced online bullying.
- The poll is not a time series and does not measure a clear AI trend.
- According to youth health information, AI can be used in humiliating online behaviour.
Left
Arguments Platforms and schools must take more responsibility for young people’s digital environment. Prevention, proper support and swift removal are more important than punishment alone after the event.
Values Protecting young people, inclusion and equal access to help.
Consequences More support and supervision cost time and money, but can prevent victims from being held solely responsible for their resilience.
Centre
Arguments Clear rules of conduct, reporting channels and independent data are needed. Schools, parents, platforms and young people themselves must each be given a defined role.
Values Proportionality, proven approaches and practicality.
Consequences A shared approach prevents one party from having to solve everything, but can make decision-making slower.
Right
Arguments Those who deliberately humiliate others online should face recognisable consequences. Platforms must be able to restrict accounts more quickly, and parents and schools must enforce boundaries more clearly.
Values Setting standards, responsibility and order.
Consequences Faster intervention can protect victims, but overly broad sanctions can also affect innocent or young users.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The poll supports the percentage of young people reporting online bullying. The original claim of an upward trend and an AI trend has not been proved by the available sources and has been softened in the headline and text.
- confirmed Sixteen per cent of the young people in the KidsRights poll experienced online bullying. — This percentage appears in the KidsRights publication. source
- confirmed The poll does not prove that online bullying is rising again nationwide. — The publication provides a snapshot rather than a comparable trend series. source
- confirmed AI can enable new forms of humiliating online behaviour. — This is described in the youth health guideline and the European action plan. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Online bullying is increasing again, with AI being used more often to humiliate young peopleNow: Study: online bullying remains a major problem among young people (The available public sources contain no reliable trend measurement or AI-specific increase.)
Editor's note
The available poll confirms the scale of the problem, but not the claim that online bullying is increasing again or that AI is demonstrably being used more often. That wording has therefore been softened.Sources
- State of Youth NL Onderzoek: Veiligheid — KidsRights
- Online Veiligheid en Criminaliteit 2024 — CBS
- Samen een vuist maken tegen online pesten — Europese Commissie
- Pesten — Nederlands Centrum Jeugdgezondheid
The story so far
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 07:37 Study: online bullying remains a major problem among young people (this article)
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 08:41 AI makes it easier to spread humiliation among young people
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „online pesten”
- NOS — „online pesten”
- Het Parool — „online pesten”