Up to 73% Harassed Online

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By: Jessica Cherok

The Pew Research Center found that 73% of adult Internet users had been harassed online, with 40% having experienced the harassment personally.

Online harassment and cyberbullying are hot-button topics as of late, and the numbers released in the study are disheartening.

60% of Internet users said they had witnessed someone being called offensive names
53% had seen efforts to purposefully embarrass someone
25% had seen someone being physically threatened
24% witnessed someone being harassed for a sustained period of time
19% said they witnessed someone being sexually harassed
18% said they had seen someone be stalked

While fewer people have personally experienced harassment, the statistics are still telling.

27% of Internet users have been called offensive names
22% have had someone try to purposefully embarrass them
8% have been physically threatened
8% have been stalked
7% have been harassed for a sustained period
6% have been sexually harassed

In other words, four out of every ten Internet users have experienced some level of online harassment. The study also found that men are more likely to be called names, while women are more likely to be sexually harassed. The majority of the harassment took place on social media.

For the full survey findings, visit the Pew Research Center’s website.