Cyberbullying is widespread among U.S. teens and is linked to post-traumatic stress symptoms in middle- and high-school students, a new study says.

Nearly 9 of 10 teenagers have experienced cyberbullying, according to the study’s survey of nearly 2,700 U.S. middle- and high-school students. 

And results show that even subtle forms of cyberbullying can cause psychological harm, researchers reported earlier this month in the journal BMC Public Health.

Intentional exclusion and rejection created as much trauma among teens as explicit threats or harassment, researchers found. 

Likewise, being the subject of gossip or cruel online comments took an emotional toll comparable to being harassed for personal traits like one’s race or religion, results show.

“Cyberbullying in any form – whether it’s exclusion from a group chat or direct threats – can lead to significant trauma in youth,” lead researcher Sameer Hinduja said in a news release. He's a professor at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Social Work and Criminal Justice.

“We were surprised to find that no single type of cyberbullying caused more harm than others; all carried a similar risk of traumatic outcomes,” he said.

“This means we can’t afford to dismiss or trivialize certain behaviors as ‘less serious’ – being left out or targeted by rumors can be just as detrimental as more overt attacks,” Hinduja added.

The survey, conducted in 2023, asked teens about 18 types of cyberbullying. Researchers categorized cyberbullying into four distinct types:

• Direct threats, either through texts or online messages.

• Privacy violations, such as stalking or identity theft.

• Indirect harassment, like posting mean comments, rumors or images.

• Exclusion, like leaving someone out of a group chat or encouraging others to gang up on a kid.

The most common forms of cyberbullying reported by adolescents were mean or hurtful online comments (56%); exclusion (53%); online rumors (53%); embarrassment or humiliation (50%); repeated unwanted contact via text or online (42%); and direct threats through text or direct messages (38%).

“What mattered most was the overall amount of cyberbullying: the more often a student was targeted, the more trauma symptoms they showed,” Hinduja said.

The study shows more research is needed on ways to protect teens from the harms of cyberbullying, Hinduja said. Strong family support, close friendships and emotional resilience might be able to provide kids a buffer against toxic online behavior.