Online Harassment & Bullying

Predictions from experts about the online social climate in 2026, from @pewresearch and @ImagineInternet.

Many experts fear uncivil and manipulative behaviors on the internet will persist – and may get worse.

What the data show on bullying, drug and alcohol use, depression, violence and other common sources of parental concern.

Most online harassment consists of name-calling or trying to embarrass someone, but there is also the darker side of physical threats: stalking, sexual harassment and being harassed for a long period of time.

While social media sites were the most common place noted for online harassment in a recent Pew Research Center survey, about a fifth of internet users cited website comments sections as places where they had that experience.

A look at the prevalence of harassment online, its various forms, where it occurs, and how people respond.

73% of adult internet users have seen someone be harassed in some way online and 40% have personally experienced it. Respondents who have personally experienced online harassment were asked to elaborate about their most recent incident in their own words.

40% of internet users have personally experienced online harassment, from the mild to the severe; 73% have witnessed it happen to others.