AI images make up growing share of cyberbullying reports
Offlimits received more reports in the first nine months of 2026 than in the whole of 2025.
Follow-up to: AI makes it easier to spread humiliation among young people Thursday, 8 October 2026, 08:41
.jpg){kind=link}
Stichting Offlimits received 955 reports of online bullying or abuse in the first nine months of 2026. In around 17 per cent of them, the material involved manipulated images, including images created or edited using AI.
The number is already above the 860 reports recorded throughout 2025. In 2024, there were 298 reports. Offlimits warns that young people are using AI images to portray one another, and sometimes teachers, in embarrassing or humiliating situations.
The share of reports concerning manipulated images was around 2 per cent in 2024 and is about 17 per cent in 2026. The organisation is therefore seeing not only more reports, but also a shift in how online bullying takes place.
The figures come from reports made to Offlimits’ helpline. They do not constitute a national measurement of how many young people are bullied. An increase may partly mean that more young people, parents and schools are finding their way to the organisation.
The threshold for creating such images has fallen because consumer apps and online services can alter existing photographs. The humiliation can have consequences for the person depicted, even if the situation never actually occurred. Moreover, it can be difficult to reverse the spread of the image.
Offlimits provides free and anonymous help with online behaviour that crosses boundaries. The organisation advises people making reports to preserve evidence of the distribution and not to share the image further. According to the organisation, responsibility lies not only with victims, but also with schools, parents and platforms.
The new figures follow earlier indications of AI use in online bullying. They say nothing yet about the total number of victims or the effect of individual measures. They do, however, make clear that manipulated images account for a growing share of requests for help.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Offlimits recorded 955 reports in the first nine months of 2026.
- The share of reports concerning manipulated images is around 17 per cent.
- The figures come from a single helpline and do not measure all cases among young people.
- Offlimits provides free and anonymous help.
Left
Arguments Schools and platforms should take more responsibility for stopping distribution quickly and protecting victims. Prevention, digital skills and accessible help deserve structural public funding.
Values Equal safety, the protection of young people and public responsibility.
Consequences More obligations for platforms and schools could help victims more quickly, but would require additional money, staff and clearly defined powers.
Centre
Arguments A combination of information, support services and proportionate enforcement is the obvious approach. Policymakers should take the rising number of reports seriously without confusing reporting figures with an exact measurement of the problem.
Values Evidence-based policy, feasibility and proportionality.
Consequences A step-by-step approach can preserve support, but may fall short if images spread faster than support services can respond.
Right
Arguments Primary responsibility lies with the person who creates and distributes the image. Schools and parents should set boundaries, while platforms should remove harmful content without checking all communications in advance.
Values Individual responsibility, freedom and legal certainty.
Consequences A more restrained platform policy limits excessive censorship, but may mean that harmful images remain online for longer.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · 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 number of reports and the trend have been attributed to Offlimits by multiple independent sources. The text makes clear that reports are not a national estimate of cyberbullying and avoids unnecessary explicit details.
- confirmed Offlimits received 955 reports in the first nine months of 2026. — This number is reported by Metro and NL Times. source
- confirmed Offlimits received 860 reports throughout 2025 and 298 in 2024. — This comparison appears in both consulted news sources. source
- confirmed Around 17 per cent of reports in 2026 concerned manipulated images. — Metro and NL Times cite around 17 per cent; the article rounds the figure because of a small difference between the sources. source
- confirmed In 2024, around 2 per cent concerned manipulated images. — Mentioned by NL Times and Metro. source
- confirmed The figures are reports made to a single helpline and are not a national prevalence measure. — This follows from the nature of the Offlimits reports; Offlimits describes the source as a helpline. source
Editor's note
The figures and the share of manipulated images are Offlimits reporting figures, not prevalence research. The sources differ slightly in how they round the percentage; that is why around 17 per cent is used in the text.Sources
The story so far
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 07:37 Study: online bullying remains a major problem among young people
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 08:41 AI makes it easier to spread humiliation among young people
- Friday, 9 October 2026, 10:44 AI images make up growing share of cyberbullying reports (this article)