Dr Jo Inchley is the international coordinator of the study, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), looking at patterns of bullying and peer violence.

The survey monitored the health behaviours and social environments of around 280,000 boys and girls aged 11, 13, and 15 years, from 44 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

It found that while overall trends in school bullying have remained the same since 2018, cyberbullying has increased, magnified by the increasing digitalisation of young people’s interactions.

Around 12% (or 1 in 8) of adolescents reported cyberbullying others, with boys (14%) being more likely to report their cyberbullying than girls (9%). This is an increase from 2018, with boys up from 11% and girls from 7%.

Meanwhile, 15% (or 1 in 6) of adolescents have experienced cyberbullying, with the rates similar between boys and girls at 15% and 16%. This marks another increase from 2018, from 12% to 15% for boys, and 13% to 16% for girls.

In terms of Scotland-specific stats, 18% of Scottish participants said they’ve experienced cyberbullying, while 11% said they’ve cyberbullied others.

However, when it comes to in-person bullying overall, an average of 6% of adolescents engaged in bullying others at school (8% for boys and 5% for girls), while around 11% of adolescents have been bullied at school, showing no significant difference between boys and girls.

With the higher prevalence of cyberbullying, the report says there’s “an urgent need for investment in family, school and community-based interventions” required to tackle the issues.

Speaking on the study’s findings, Dr Inchley herself remarked: “The digital world, while offering incredible opportunities for learning and connecting, also amplifies challenges like cyberbullying.

“This calls for comprehensive strategies to protect our young people’s mental and emotional well-being.

“It’s crucial for governments, schools, and families to collaborate on addressing online risks, ensuring adolescents have safe and supportive environments to thrive.”

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Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, also commented: “This report is a wake-up call for all of us to call out bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens.”

“With young people spending up to six hours online every single day, even small changes in the rates of bullying and violence can have profound implications for the health and well-being of thousands.

“From self-harm to suicide, we have seen how cyberbullying in all its forms can devastate the lives of young people and their families.

“This is both a health and a human rights issue, and we must step up to protect our children from violence and harm, both offline and online.”

In response, WHO/Europe has published its first-ever “position paper” on protecting children from online harms, which aims to help governments formulate consistent requests to online and technology companies, with the overall goal of securing healthy online environments.