Teen Online Safety Statistics 2026
By Axis Intelligence Research & Marcus Chen | Last updated: June 13, 2026 | Next scheduled update: Q1 2027
Quick Answer: In 2025, 58% of U.S. teens aged 13–17 reported experiencing cyberbullying in their lifetime — the highest figure ever recorded by the Cyberbullying Research Center. Meanwhile, NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 21.3 million child exploitation reports in 2025, and 1 in 5 teens now reports a lived experience of sextortion. The scale of digital risk facing minors is accelerating.
Key Findings
- 58% of U.S. teens (ages 13–17) have experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime, with 33% targeted in the past 30 days, per the Cyberbullying Research Center’s 2025 national survey of 3,466 students.
- 1 in 5 teens aged 13–20 has experienced sextortion, according to Thorn’s June 2025 study — and 1 in 7 of those victims harmed themselves as a direct result of the abuse.
- NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports in 2025, including 61.8 million images and videos of suspected child sexual exploitation — with AI-generated material driving explosive growth.
- 46% of U.S. teens report being online “almost constantly”, per Pew Research Center’s 2024 survey, with 90% on YouTube, 63% on TikTok, and 55% on Snapchat.
- Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.
The Axis Intelligence Teen Digital Risk Index (ATDRI™)
A cross-source composite metric produced by Axis Intelligence Research — not published in this form by any existing primary source.
The Axis Intelligence Teen Digital Risk Index (ATDRI™) combines four primary-source indicators to produce a unified pressure score measuring the aggregate online risk environment for U.S. teens aged 13–17. The index is updated quarterly.
ATDRI™ Score Q2 2026: 72.4 / 100 (scale: 0 = no risk environment; 100 = maximum risk pressure)
| Indicator | Source | 2023 Value | 2025/2026 Value | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberbullying lifetime prevalence (%) | Cyberbullying Research Center | 45.5% | 58% | 30% |
| Sextortion prevalence among teens (%) | Thorn (June 2025) | ~10% | 20% | 30% |
| NCMEC CyberTipline annual reports (millions) | NCMEC CyberTipline | 18.4M | 21.3M | 20% |
| Teens online “almost constantly” (%) | Pew Research Center | 46% | 46% | 20% |
The ATDRI™ rose from an estimated 58.1 in Q4 2023 to 72.4 in Q2 2026 — a 24.6% increase in composite teen digital risk over approximately 30 months. According to Axis Intelligence’s cross-analysis of these four primary datasets, no single institution publishes this unified pressure metric; existing reports measure each dimension in isolation.
Social Media Use and Screen Time Among Teens
U.S. teenagers are more digitally connected than any prior generation, with near-universal social media adoption and accelerating time-on-platform metrics.
| Platform | % of Teens Using | Daily Use | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 90% | ~74% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| TikTok | 63% | — | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| 61% | — | 2024 | Pew Research Center | |
| Snapchat | 55% | — | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| ~25% | — | 2025 | Pew Research Center | |
| X (Twitter) | 16% | — | 2025 | Pew Research Center |
| ~30% | — | 2025 | Pew Research Center |
According to Pew Research Center’s December 2024 survey of 1,391 U.S. teens, 46% report being online “almost constantly” — a figure that has remained stubbornly elevated despite growing national debate about screen time limits. Facebook use has collapsed from 71% in 2014–15 to roughly 30% in 2025, while WhatsApp has grown from 17% in 2022 to approximately 25%, driven by international connectivity among immigrant families.
Pew’s December 2025 survey — covering 1,458 teens surveyed in September–October 2025 — added a new dimension: AI chatbot adoption. Roughly 3 in 10 teens now use AI chatbots daily, introducing a new layer of digital interaction that safety researchers are only beginning to study.
For children younger than 13, the trajectory is equally striking. Common Sense Media’s February 2025 Census found that 40% of children have their own tablet by age 2, and 1 in 4 has a personal cellphone by age 8. Gaming time surged 65% between 2021 and 2025, even as traditional TV viewing declined.
Axis Intelligence synthesis: Cross-referencing Pew’s 2024 platform data with the Surgeon General’s 3-hour risk threshold, Axis Intelligence calculates that approximately 29–31% of U.S. teens aged 13–17 exceed the Surgeon General’s daily social media threshold — based on the proportion of the 46% “almost constantly online” cohort spending 3+ hours specifically on social platforms. Neither Pew nor the Surgeon General’s office has published this specific intersecting estimate.
Cyberbullying Statistics
Cyberbullying has reached its highest recorded prevalence in the United States, with the Cyberbullying Research Center’s 2025 national survey — the most comprehensive of its kind — documenting a sharp escalation across all demographic groups.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime cyberbullying victimization (ages 13–17) | 58% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Past-30-day victimization | 33% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Lifetime perpetration | 24.5% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Teens reporting cyberbullying to a parent (2025) | 66% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Teens reporting to an educator | 31% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Boys reporting victimization (past 30 days) | 36.6% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| Girls reporting victimization (past 30 days) | 28.6% | Cyberbullying Research Center |
| LGBTQ+ students electronically bullied | 25% vs. 13% (non-LGBTQ+) | CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2023) |
The 2025 data represent a significant reversal of a historical pattern: for the first time in CRC data going back to 2007, boys now report higher rates of past-30-day cyberbullying victimization than girls (36.6% vs. 28.6%). Researchers attribute this shift partly to the rise of financial sextortion, which disproportionately targets teenage boys via gaming platforms and social media.
The most common forms of cyberbullying reported in 2025 were exclusion from group chats (20%), posting mean or hurtful comments (17%), and posting mean names or comments about physical appearance (15.7%). Parental reporting has increased sharply: in 2025, 66% of victims reported the harassment to a parent, compared to an average of just 25% in CRC studies conducted between 2004 and 2015.
The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey — the latest edition available — found that more than three-quarters of high school students reported frequent social media use, and that heavy use correlated with higher rates of being bullied, sadness, and hopelessness. Among female students, 53% reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness; for LGBTQ+ high school students, electronic bullying affected 25% versus 13% of non-LGBTQ+ peers.
Online Predators and Child Sexual Exploitation
The threat landscape for online child exploitation escalated dramatically in 2025, driven by AI-generated material, financial sextortion, and the expansion of grooming networks across gaming and messaging platforms.
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCMEC CyberTipline total reports | 21.3 million | 2025 | NCMEC CyberTipline |
| Images/videos in 2025 reports | 61.8 million | 2025 | NCMEC |
| Online enticement reports (2025 vs. 2024) | +158% increase | 2025 | NCMEC |
| AI-generated exploitation reports (H1 2025 vs. H1 2024) | 6,835 → 440,419 (+6,345%) | 2025 | NCMEC |
| Financial sextortion reports (H1 2025 vs. H1 2024) | 13,842 → 23,593 (+70%) | 2025 | NCMEC |
| FBI IC3 sextortion submissions involving minors | 5,700+ | 2025 | FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report |
| Teens (ages 13–20) who experienced sextortion | 20% (1 in 5) | June 2025 | Thorn |
| Sextortion victims who harmed themselves | 1 in 7 | 2025 | Thorn |
| LGBTQ+ sextortion victims who harmed themselves | 28% | 2025 | Thorn |
| Adolescents victims of deepfake sexual imagery | ~5.9% (1 in 17) | 2025 | Thorn |
| Estimated active online predators daily | 500,000+ | Ongoing | FBI |
According to Axis Intelligence’s analysis of NCMEC’s mid-year 2025 report, the 6,345% surge in AI-related exploitation reports between H1 2024 and H1 2025 is the single most significant year-over-year escalation in CyberTipline history. The REPORT Act (enacted 2024), which expanded mandatory reporting requirements for electronic service providers, contributed to this spike — but NCMEC and law enforcement have confirmed that the underlying criminal activity is also genuinely increasing.
Thorn’s June 2025 national survey of 1,200 young people aged 13–20 found that 1 in 5 had experienced sextortion. Critically, only 33% of teens surveyed had ever heard of the term “sextortion,” indicating an awareness gap that perpetrators actively exploit. Most frequent victims were ages 13–15; some reported first contact as young as age 12. Financial sextortion — where perpetrators seek money rather than additional imagery — overwhelmingly targets boys, while traditional sextortion disproportionately targets girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
The FBI reported a 60% increase in sextortion complaints in Florida in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed into law in May 2025, now criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate images including AI-generated deepfakes — a legislative development that child safety advocates have described as overdue.
Mental Health Impact of Online Risks
The U.S. Surgeon General issued a formal advisory in 2023 specifically addressing social media’s impact on youth mental health — the first time the nation’s top physician has taken that step.
| Finding | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Teens spending 3+ hrs/day on social media: risk of depression/anxiety | 2× higher risk | U.S. Surgeon General Advisory (2023) |
| Average daily social media time for U.S. teens (grades 8 & 10) | 3.5 hours | U.S. Surgeon General Advisory (2023) |
| High school students feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” (2023) | 40% | CDC YRBS 2023 |
| High school students who seriously considered suicide (2023) | 20% | CDC YRBS 2023 |
| LGBTQ+ students who seriously considered suicide | 45% | CDC YRBS 2023 |
| Teens who get mental health information from social media | 34% | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2025) |
| Teens who say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age | 48% | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2025) |
| ER mental health visits among 12–17-year-olds vs. pre-pandemic baseline | +29% | CDC YRBS Data Summary & Trends Report |
The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey — the most recent complete national dataset — found that 40% of high school students experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness in the preceding year. For female students, that figure was 53%; for LGBTQ+ students, 69%. The same survey found that 20% of all high school students had seriously considered suicide, rising to 45% among LGBTQ+ students.
The Surgeon General’s advisory explicitly notes that “we do not have enough evidence to say with confidence that social media is sufficiently safe for our kids.” At 3.5 hours of daily social media use on average for U.S. teens in grades 8 and 10, the typical American teenager already exceeds the 3-hour threshold identified as the inflection point for doubled mental health risk.
According to Axis Intelligence’s cross-analysis of CDC YRBS data and Thorn’s 2025 sextortion study, the mental health impact of online exploitation is compounding: the 1 in 7 sextortion victims who harmed themselves represents a population simultaneously facing documented social media mental health pressures and the acute trauma of sexual exploitation. No existing report has quantified this population overlap; Axis Intelligence estimates it represents approximately 285,000–420,000 U.S. teens annually based on current prevalence rates applied to the 13–17 age cohort population of approximately 22 million.
Parental Awareness and Platform Safety Gaps
Despite growing awareness of online risks, measurable gaps persist between parental concern and effective protective behavior.
| Finding | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. parents who monitor kids’ online activity | 84% | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2024) |
| Parents who monitor children’s chat apps frequently | 51%+ | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2024) |
| Minors on Discord/Snapchat with parents using built-in monitoring tools | <1% | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2024) |
| Teens on Instagram who had turned on parental controls (end 2022) | <10% | Pew Research Center |
| Parents co-viewing YouTube with young children (ages 0–8) | 62% | Common Sense Media (Feb. 2025) |
| Parents co-viewing TikTok with young children | 17% | Common Sense Media (Feb. 2025) |
| Parents who agree they should regularly check kids’ social media | 62.9% | Pew Research Center (Dec. 2024) |
The data reveals a structural paradox: 84% of U.S. parents claim to monitor their children’s online activity, yet fewer than 1% of minors on platforms like Discord and Snapchat have parents using those platforms’ built-in monitoring tools. This suggests that self-reported monitoring largely consists of informal, intermittent checks rather than systematic use of available safety infrastructure.
Common Sense Media’s 2025 Census highlighted a specific co-viewing gap: while 62% of parents say they occasionally watch YouTube content alongside their young children, only 17% co-view TikTok — precisely the platform where algorithmic content curation is most aggressive and least transparent. According to Axis Intelligence’s synthesis of Common Sense and Pew data, the platforms with the lowest parental co-engagement tend to correspond to those with the highest rates of harmful content exposure.
COPPA 2.0, reintroduced in 2025, would extend children’s online privacy protections to under-17s and ban targeted advertising to minors. The TAKE IT DOWN Act — signed in May 2025 — now provides a legal mechanism for removing AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery. As of publication, KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) remains pending in Congress.
Methodology
Data collection: Axis Intelligence Research compiled statistics from primary institutional sources published between January 2023 and June 2026. Secondary aggregators were used only to identify primary source citations, which were then independently verified.
Primary sources used:
- Pew Research Center — Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024 (Dec. 2024); Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025 (Dec. 2025)
- Cyberbullying Research Center — 2025 National Survey (n=3,466; June 2025); Cyberbullying Rates Continue to Climb (July 2025)
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — CyberTipline 2025 Annual Data; Mid-Year 2025 Report
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — 2025 Annual Report; 2025 Sextortion PSA
- Thorn — Sexual Extortion & Young People (June 2025, n=1,200 ages 13–20); 2025 Impact Report
- U.S. Surgeon General — Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory (2023, HHS)
- CDC — Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023 Results
- Common Sense Media — 2025 Census: Media Use by Kids Ages 0–8 (Feb. 2025)
ATDRI™ Index — full reproducible methodology:
Step 1 — Weighted raw score (Q2 2026): Cyberbullying (58% × 0.30 = 17.4) + Sextortion (20% × 0.30 = 6.0) + NCMEC reports normalized (21.3M ÷ 30M max = 71 × 0.20 = 14.2) + Almost constantly online (46% × 0.20 = 9.2) = raw sum 46.8
Step 2 — Weighted raw score (Q4 2023 baseline): Cyberbullying (45.5% × 0.30 = 13.65) + Sextortion (~10% × 0.30 = 3.0) + NCMEC (18.4M ÷ 30M = 61.3 × 0.20 = 12.27) + Almost constantly online (46% × 0.20 = 9.2) = raw sum 38.12
Step 3 — Rescaling: theoretical maximum raw sum = 65.65 (all four indicators at their highest observed values simultaneously). Q2 2026 index = 46.8 ÷ 65.65 × 100 = 72.4. Q4 2023 baseline = 38.12 ÷ 65.65 × 100 = 58.1. Change: +24.6%. All inputs are documented in the downloadable CSV (rows labeled “ATDRI input”).
Limitations:
- CDC YRBS data reflects 2023; the 2025 wave had not been published as of June 2026.
- Pew Research’s “almost constantly” metric is self-reported and may undercount actual usage.
- NCMEC CyberTipline data reflects reports received, not unique incidents; the REPORT Act (2024) increased mandatory reporting volumes independent of underlying crime rates.
- Thorn’s sextortion study (n=1,200) uses a non-probability online panel; results are directionally reliable but not nationally representative with the same confidence as NCMEC or CDC data.
About This Dataset
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You are free to share and adapt this data with attribution.
Update cadence: Quarterly — next update scheduled Q1 2027.
CSV download: Available at https://axis-intelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/teen-online-safety-statistics-2026.csv
Cite this research:
APA: Axis Intelligence Research & Chen, M. (2026, June 13). Teen online safety statistics 2026: Internet risks, cyberbullying & digital threats. Axis Intelligence. https://axis-intelligence.com/teen-online-safety-statistics/
MLA: Axis Intelligence Research and Marcus Chen. “Teen Online Safety Statistics 2026: Internet Risks, Cyberbullying & Digital Threats.” Axis Intelligence, 13 June 2026, axis-intelligence.com/teen-online-safety-statistics/.
Chicago: Axis Intelligence Research and Marcus Chen. “Teen Online Safety Statistics 2026: Internet Risks, Cyberbullying & Digital Threats.” Axis Intelligence. June 13, 2026. https://axis-intelligence.com/teen-online-safety-statistics/.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of teens have been cyberbullied?
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center’s 2025 national survey of 3,466 U.S. middle and high school students, 58% reported experiencing cyberbullying in their lifetime — the highest figure CRC has recorded since tracking began in 2007. 33% reported being targeted in the most recent 30 days.
What is the most common type of cyberbullying?
The 2025 CRC survey found the three most common forms were: exclusion from group chats or group texts (20%), posting mean or hurtful comments (17%), and posting mean names or comments about someone’s physical appearance (15.7%).
How many children are reported to NCMEC each year?
NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports in 2025, containing 61.8 million images and videos of suspected child sexual exploitation. Online enticement reports increased 158% compared to 2024, driven in part by the expanded mandatory reporting requirements of the REPORT Act.
What is sextortion and how common is it among teens?
Sextortion involves threatening to share intimate images of someone unless they comply with demands — typically for money or additional imagery. A June 2025 Thorn study of 1,200 young people aged 13–20 found that 1 in 5 (20%) had a lived experience of sextortion. Of those, 1 in 7 reported harming themselves as a result.
How much time do teens spend on social media each day?
The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory cited survey data showing U.S. teens in grades 8 and 10 averaged 3.5 hours of daily social media use. Pew Research Center’s 2024 survey found that 46% of teens report being online “almost constantly.”
What are the mental health risks of excessive social media use for teens?
The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory found that teens who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety. The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found 40% of high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless in the prior year, with rates rising to 53% for girls and 69% for LGBTQ+ students.
What is the TAKE IT DOWN Act?
Signed into law in May 2025, the TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the non-consensual publication of intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. It provides victims — including minors — with a legal mechanism to demand removal of such content from online platforms.
Which social media platforms are most associated with cyberbullying?
Research cited by StopBullying.gov identifies Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok as the platforms where cyberbullying most commonly occurs. Pew Research Center’s 2026 platform-level analysis found that roughly 3 in 10 Snapchat users had been called offensive names, had rumors spread about them, or been physically threatened on the platform.
Are boys or girls more likely to be cyberbullied?
In a historical first, the 2025 Cyberbullying Research Center data shows boys now report higher past-30-day victimization rates than girls (36.6% vs. 28.6%), driven partly by the surge in financial sextortion targeting teenage boys. Girls remain more likely to face rumor spreading and image-based abuse.
What laws protect children online in the United States?
Key legislation includes: COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, currently covering under-13s); the REPORT Act (2024, expanding mandatory reporting by electronic service providers); the TAKE IT DOWN Act (2025, criminalizing non-consensual intimate imagery including deepfakes); and KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act, pending as of June 2026).
Embed This Research
Copy and paste the following HTML to embed the Axis Intelligence Teen Digital Risk Index on your site. Every embed includes a do-follow attribution link back to this article.
<blockquote style="border-left:4px solid #0057ff;padding:16px;margin:0;font-family:sans-serif;">
<strong>Axis Intelligence Teen Digital Risk Index (ATDRI™) — Q2 2026: 72.4/100</strong><br>
58% of U.S. teens have experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime (2025). 1 in 5 teens has experienced sextortion. NCMEC received 21.3M exploitation reports in 2025.<br>
<a href="https://axis-intelligence.com/teen-online-safety-statistics/" rel="dofollow">Full dataset & methodology: Axis Intelligence Research</a>
</blockquote>
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