COVID-19, School Closures and (Cyber)Bullying in Germany

Arbeitspapier

We analyze the prevalence of bullying in Germany during COVID-19, both as a real-life phenomenon (in-person bullying, or in our context: school bullying) and via social media and electronic communication tools (cyberbullying). Using Google Trends data from 2013 to 2022 and exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment when schools switched to distance learning, we document stark changes in the prevalence of (cyber)bullying in Germany: Our results indicate that during school years affected by COVID-19, online searches for school bullying decreased by about 25 percent, while online searches for cyberbullying increased by about 48 percent during the same periods.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 16650

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions ; Health Behavior ; Analysis of Education ; Education: Government Policy ; General Welfare; Well-Being
• Subject: school bullying ; cyberbullying ; Google Trends

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Rahlff, Helen ; Rinne, Ulf ; Sonnabend, Hendrik
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2023

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/282777
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET