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Cyberbullying

Domain

Good governance

Subdomain

Justice and human rights

Indicator

Cyberbullying

Definition

Proportion of the population who reported being cyberbullied in the past 12 months.

Measurement

This indicator is measured in the General Social Survey (GSS) - Canadians' Safety (Victimization) and the Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS).

In the GSS on Canadians' safety, survey respondents are asked: 

In the past 5 years, have you experienced any of the following types of cyber-stalking or cyber-bullying?

  • You received threatening or aggressive emails or instant messages where you were the only recipient
  • You were the target of threatening or aggressive comments spread through group emails, instant messages or postings on Internet sites
  • Someone sent out or posted pictures that embarrassed you or made you feel threatened
  • Someone used your identity to send out or post embarrassing or threatening information
  • Other type

If survey respondents say yes, they are asked:

You indicated that you experienced some type of cyber-stalking or cyber-bullying in the past 5 years.

Did any occur in the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

In the CIUS, survey respondents are asked:

During the past 12 months, have you felt that you were a victim of any of the following incidents on the Internet?

Did you experience: Bullying, harassment, discrimination

  • Yes
  • No

Did you experience: Misuse of personal pictures, videos or other content

  • Yes
  • No

Did you experience: Other incident

  • Yes
  • No

Did you experience: Was not the victim of any incident

  • Yes
  • No

Data sources

Data visualizations

Data analysis

Additional information

The Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY) asks youth aged 12 to 17 about their experiences with bullying through the following question:

Sometimes people tease, hurt or upset another person on purpose. During the past 12 months, how often did the following things happen to you?

Within a list of 10 items, 3 are specific to cyberbullying:

  • Someone posted hurtful information about you on the Internet
    • Never
    • A few times a year
    • Monthly
    • Weekly
    • Daily
  • Someone threatened or insulted you through email, instant messaging, text messaging or an online game
    • Never
    • A few times a year
    • Monthly
    • Weekly
    • Daily
  • Someone purposefully excluded you from an online community
    • Never
    • A few times a year
    • Monthly
    • Weekly
    • Daily

A study entitled Bullying victimization among sexually and gender diverse youth in Canada uses the 2019 CHSCY to provide an understanding of the prevalence and severity of self-reported experiences of bullying among sexually and gender diverse youth (aged 15 to 17), including the prevalence of the above listed experiences of cyberbullying.

While not asking directly about online bullying or harassment, the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) includes a detailed module on unwanted/inappropriate behaviours experienced online or while using a cell phone or smartphone. Specifically, the SSPPS asks respondents:

  • In the past 12 months, did you change your username or block certain people from interacting with you online because of messages you received or harassment you experienced through that account?
  • In the past 12 months, did you restrict your own Internet access or participation on social media in order to protect yourself?
  • In the past 12 months, did you shut down or delete an online account you had because of messages you received or harassment you experienced through that account?
  • Indicate how many times in the past 12 months you have experienced each of the following behaviours while online (response options: Never, 1 or 2 times, 3 to 5 times, 6 to 10 times, More than 10 times)
    • You received any threatening or aggressive emails, social media messages, or text messages where you were the only recipient
    • You were the target of threatening or aggressive comments spread through group emails, group text messages or postings on social media
    • Someone posted or distributed, or threatened to post or distribute, intimate or sexually explicit videos or images of you without your consent
    • Someone pressured you to send, share, or post sexually suggestive or explicit images or messages
    • Someone sent you sexually suggestive or explicit images or messages when you did not want to receive them

For those who reported experiencing unwanted/inappropriate behaviours online, the follow up questions focussed on the incident perceived as most serious by the respondent. Questions asked included those on the following topics:

  • Number of persons involved
  • Gender of person(s) involved
  • Relationship of person(s) involved to respondent
  • Ways in which then incident affected the respondent emotionally
  • Whether or not the respondent talked to someone about the incident (e.g. the police; friends; family members; neighbours; co-workers; online friends; a lawyer; a counsellor, psychologist, or social worker; Internet provider, online service administrators)

The report Gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces provided some analysis of the results from the above questions as well as others in the survey, focussing on precautionary measures that women and men use to protect themselves from online harassment and on whether or not those who experienced unwanted behaviour online knew or did not know the perpetrator.

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