Online threats most often affect victims psychologically
Four in ten victims of online threats or intimidation say they experienced psychological or emotional problems.
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Online threats and intimidation had the most frequent emotional or psychological consequences for victims of all offences examined in 2025. This is reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), based on the 2025 Safety Monitor.
Of the victims of online threats or intimidation, 40.0 per cent reported that the offence led to emotional or psychological problems. The figure was 32.2 per cent for violent offences, 19.5 per cent for property offences and 14.6 per cent for criminal damage. CBS emphasises that these figures concern the proportion among victims, not the proportion of the population as a whole.
The Safety Monitor is a biennial survey of people aged 15 and over. In 2025, 20 per cent of all victims of crime said they had experienced emotional or psychological problems as a result of the offence. A relatively large proportion of victims of online threats and intimidation reported psychological consequences. These percentages do not represent absolute numbers of victims.
Show the figures
| Victims | |
|---|---|
| Online threats and intimidation | 40.0% |
| Violent offences | 32.2% |
| Property offences | 19.5% |
| Criminal damage | 14.6% |
| Hacking | 14.5% |
| Online scams and fraud | 11.6% |
CBS reports a difference between victims who knew the perpetrator and those who did not. For online threats or intimidation, 54 per cent of victims reported psychological or emotional problems when the perpetrator was known. When the perpetrator was unknown, the figure was 26.5 per cent. CBS presents this as a difference in outcomes; the survey alone does not prove why victims of known perpetrators report problems more often.
The consequences of other offences also vary. For violent offences, 46.4 per cent of victims with a known perpetrator reported psychological problems, compared with 24.6 per cent when the perpetrator was unknown. For criminal damage, the proportion was 17.2 per cent when the offence took place in the victim’s own neighbourhood and 7.6 per cent elsewhere. Location does not apply to online offences.
The figures do not mean that every online threat leads to long-term psychological complaints, nor do they measure what help victims received afterwards. They concern what respondents themselves reported as emotional or psychological problems after an offence. CBS also points to financial consequences: 75.4 per cent of victims of online threats and intimidation who had financial problems also reported psychological problems, compared with 37.7 per cent of victims without financial problems.
The percentages describe the problems reported by victims. They do not show which approach works best to prevent or reduce those problems.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- CBS reported that, among victims, online threats and intimidation were most often associated with psychological or emotional problems in 2025.
- The 2025 Safety Monitor is based on self-reporting by people aged 15 and over.
- The proportion was higher when the perpetrator was known to the victim.
- The figures do not assess the effectiveness of policy or support services.
Left
Arguments The government and platforms should protect victims more actively, stop the spread of abuse more quickly and provide accessible support, because online intimidation has demonstrable psychological consequences.
Values Protection of vulnerable groups, public responsibility and access to support.
Consequences More oversight and support could help victims, but would require additional capacity and could conflict with privacy or freedom of expression.
Centre
Arguments A combination of better registration, enforcement and support services is the obvious approach, but new measures should be tested against evidence and the limits imposed by the rule of law.
Values Proportionality, practicability and protection of fundamental rights.
Consequences A step-by-step approach could retain public support, but would not change the situation immediately.
Right
Arguments Threats should be investigated and punished consistently; the emphasis should be on individual responsibility rather than broad restrictions on online communication.
Values Public order, personal responsibility and freedom of expression.
Consequences Stricter enforcement could deter perpetrators, but clear boundaries would be needed to avoid treating criticism as a threat.
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 figures, periods and definitions were checked directly against the CBS publication and the 2025 Safety Monitor. Causal language has been avoided: the text describes differences in reported consequences, not their cause.
- confirmed 40.0 per cent of victims of online threats and intimidation reported psychological or emotional problems. — CBS table on the consequences of crime in 2025. source
- confirmed The proportion was 54 per cent when the perpetrator was known and 26.5 per cent when the perpetrator was unknown. — CBS breakdown by known and unknown perpetrator. source
- confirmed The Safety Monitor is a biennial survey of people aged 15 and over. — CBS description of the source and study population. source
- confirmed Among victims of online threats and intimidation with financial problems, 75.4 per cent also reported psychological problems. — CBS table on financial consequences and psychological problems. source
Editor's note
The figures come from the CBS publication on the 2025 Safety Monitor. The survey measures self-reported consequences among victims; it does not prove a causal explanation for the differences.Sources
- Online bedreiging en intimidatie leidt bij 4 op de 10 tot psychische problemen — Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- Veiligheidsmonitor 2025 — Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- Aanpak online en hybride geweld — OpenTK
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „online bedreiging”
- Trouw — „online bedreiging”
- NRC — „online bedreiging”