The data come from the eighth edition of the report "Students' Opinions", prepared by the Mutua Madrileña and ANAR foundations based on a sample of 9,127 students in the fifth and sixth years of primary school and the first and second years of compulsory secondary education, as well as 412 teachers. The increase can be seen both in in-person bullying, which rose from 6.5% to 7.9%, and in cyberbullying, which climbed from 2.2% to 3%.
ONE IN FOUR CASES LASTS MORE THAN A YEAR
One of the main problems highlighted by the study is the duration of bullying situations. In face-to-face settings, 27.6% of students who know of a case say it lasts more than a year, while 41.2% refer to situations lasting months and 31.2% to those lasting weeks. Teachers' perceptions point in the same direction: 36.2% believe the cases persist over time.
The situation is also worsening in the digital environment. Some 22.8% of cyberbullying cases last more than a year, seven percentage points more than in the previous school year. In addition, 33.3% last several months and 43.9% last weeks. The main channels used for these attacks are WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram, which appear in 78.4%, 65.6% and 50.4% of cases, respectively.
Physical appearance remains the main reason behind the attacks, cited in 78.9% of cases, followed by origin, race or religion, at 54.9%, and certain things the victim does or says, at 50.3%. The victims' own classmates are identified as the main perpetrators of bullying, at 66.7%. In face-to-face bullying, insults, nicknames and mockery predominate (86.4%), followed by isolation (43.5%).
AI PLAYS A GROWING ROLE IN CYBERBULLYING
Artificial intelligence is also becoming a tool for committing cyberbullying. Its use already appears in 23.5% of situations known to students, an increase of 9.3 percentage points in just one school year. Among those affected by these practices, 60.3% are girls.
The technology is used especially to create or manipulate false content about victims. In cases involving AI, audio or voice manipulation appears in 79.5%, while photo modification reaches 57.5%. These practices are joined by other common forms of cyberbullying, such as spreading rumors or false information, present in 71% of cases, posting physical attacks (59.5%) or sending threatening or abusive messages (54.2%).
The report also detects a stronger response to bullying. Some 59.2% of students say their classmates intervene to stop it, seven points more than in the previous school year, while 75.9% believe teachers take action in these situations. Despite this, 27.7% still acknowledge that they might not report a bullying case for fear of its possible consequences.
