We all know that cyberbullying exists. We hear stories, read figures, and some of us – or our children – experience it up close. But what does this bullying really do to the mental health of young people? And how profound is that effect? ​​In a recent meta-analysis by Jungup Lee and colleagues (2025), the effects are mapped out for the first time in the long term and with hard figures. And the conclusion? Cyberbullying often leaves scars that do not simply fade away.

The researchers analysed 27 longitudinal studies, involving more than 27,000 young people between the ages of 8 and 19. Those studies followed the same children over time, meaning they looked at who was bullied and how they felt and how that unfolded months or years later.

The numbers don’t lie. Young people who are victims of cyberbullying are more likely to develop depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep problems, stress and other mental health problems later on. Fortunately, the effect sometimes ranges from small to (less fortunately) average, but the effect is consistent. And more importantly, it remains, regardless of the culture or the time between the bullying and the moment of measurement. Online bullying therefore leaves traces, even if it ‘happened a long time ago’.

Three factors further amplify the adverse effects. Older youth appear to be more sensitive to the negative effects of cyberbullying than younger children. Boys, surprisingly, appear to be more vulnerable than girls. And the effect seems to be increasing in more recent studies, which may indicate how bullying is evolving in an increasingly digital life. It could therefore be that cyberbullying is not only increasing, but is also hitting harder than before.

The study’s authors—Jungup Lee, Hyekyung Choo, Yijing Zhang, Hoi Shan Cheung, Qiyang Zhang, and Rebecca P. Ang—emphasise that prevention is key, not only through rules and prohibitions but also through open conversations between parents and children. Young people need autonomy but also trust, and that trust starts with adults who listen without judgment.

This study is not meant to be alarmist. It is a wake-up call with scientific substantiation. Cyberbullying is not a temporary inconvenience. It appears to be a real health risk that helps determine how young people grow up.

Abstract of the study :

Cyberbullying victimization and mental health symptoms are major concerns for children and adolescents worldwide. Despite the increasing number of longitudinal studies of cyberbullying and mental health among this demographic, the robustness of the causal associations between cyberbullying victimization and the magnitude of mental health symptoms remains unclear. This meta-analysis investigated the longitudinal impact of cyberbullying victimization on mental health symptoms among children and adolescents. A systematic search identified primary studies published in English between January 2010 and June 2021, yielding a sample of 27 studies encompassing 13,497 children and adolescents aged 8 to 19 years old. The longitudinal association between cyberbullying victimization and mental health symptoms among children and adolescents was found to be weakly positive and consistent across time and age. Three significant moderators were identified: the effect of cyberbullying victimization on mental health was larger among older children, groups with a higher proportion of males, and in more recent publications. No evidence of publication bias was detected. This study adds to the existing body of research by providing a new perspective on the long-term effects of cyberbullying victimization on the mental health of children and adolescents’ mental health. Furthermore, it underscores the necessity of developing effective cyberbullying prevention programs, interventions, and legal regulations to comprehensively address this issue.