Is Cyberbullying Just Harassment or Childhood Trauma?

At a glance

Cyberbullying is a serious trauma risk: All forms of cyberbullying — even indirect ones like exclusion or rumours — can cause significant psychological harm in teens.
Frequency matters more than type: The more often teens are targeted, the greater their trauma symptoms, regardless of age, gender, or type of bullying.
Call for trauma-informed support: Researchers urge schools and communities to treat cyberbullying as an ACE and respond with empathy, safety protocols, and trained interventions.

As concern over adolescent mental health grows, a new national study suggests cyberbullying should be treated as an adverse childhood experience (ACE), a type of trauma linked to long-term emotional and physical harm.

While extreme online abuse is often seen as the main threat, the study found that even indirect forms like exclusion from group chats or spreading rumours can be just as damaging.

With more than 30% of students globally experiencing bullying, and most youth interacting online, these findings are especially alarming.

The research, led by Florida Atlantic University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, examined 18 forms of cyberbullying in a national sample of 2,697 U.S. teens aged 13–17. These included behaviours like impersonation, stalking, and exclusion, and were compared against symptoms of PTSD using a clinical screening tool.

The results, published in BMC Public Health, found that 87% of participants had experienced at least one form of cyberbullying. Surprisingly, the type of harassment didn’t matter much — all had a similar psychological impact.

“As our research clearly shows, cyberbullying in any form — whether it’s exclusion from a group chat or direct threats — can lead to significant trauma in youth,” said Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., lead author and professor at FAU.

“We were surprised to find that no single type of cyberbullying caused more harm than others; all carried a similar risk of traumatic outcomes. This means we can’t afford to dismiss or trivialise certain behaviours as ‘less serious’ — being left out or targeted by rumours can be just as detrimental as more overt attacks.”

More than half of students reported being targeted by hurtful comments or excluded online, with girls and younger teens showing more trauma symptoms. But once researchers factored in how much cyberbullying they experienced, age and gender mattered less.

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

“In fact, cyberbullying alone accounted for a significant portion — 32% — of the differences in trauma levels among students.”

The study underscores the importance of trauma-informed care in schools and communities. It also calls for more research into protective factors like strong friendships, resilience, and family support.

“To truly protect young people, we must take a trauma-informed approach, one that prioritises emotional and psychological safety, incorporates grounding techniques, and includes strong crisis intervention plans,” said Hinduja.

“This requires training educators, counsellors and youth-serving adults to recognise signs of trauma, understand its root causes, and respond with empathy, emotional safety protocols and scientifically proven mindfulness interventions. Equally important is creating safe environments where students feel supported and seen, and where even subtle forms of bullying are taken seriously, given the potentially serious outcomes that compromise youth well-being.”