Bullying doesn't always end when the incident ends.
What happens in a hallway, a classroom, a schoolyard, a group chat or online can stay with a young person long after the moment passes. Bullying can affect confidence, relationships, school experience and well-being — and serious or repeated bullying is associated with greater mental-health risk. Early support matters, and so does understanding what is happening around the child.
What Canadian research tells us
These findings come from different Canadian surveys with different questions, age groups and methods. They describe the same broad concern, but they are not directly comparable with one another.
Nearly 2 in 3
65.5%
of youth aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing at least one form of bullying in the previous 12 months.
Source: Statistics Canada — Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reportedStatistics Canada, Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reported
Released November 24, 2025 (table subsequently corrected/updated)
Reference period: 2023, Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY)
Self-reported by youth aged 12 to 17 through the CHSCY. Not directly comparable with school-based HBSC measures.
Nearly 1 in 4
24.5%
of youth aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing at least one form of cyberbullying in the previous 12 months.
Source: Statistics Canada — Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reportedStatistics Canada, Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reported
Released November 24, 2025 (table subsequently corrected/updated)
Reference period: 2023, Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY)
Same CHSCY collection as the bullying indicator above; cyberbullying is measured separately.
Up from 20% in 2018
32% in 2022
of students reported being bullied, based on the school-based HBSC study.
Source: Public Health Agency of Canada — The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental healthPublic Health Agency of Canada, The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental health
Published June 23, 2025
Survey years: 2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) cycle, compared with the 2018 cycle
A different survey and a different measure from the Statistics Canada CHSCY figures. Do not compare the two directly.
Associated risk
4 times
Youth who have been bullied or cyberbullied are reported to be four times more likely to have thoughts of suicide. This is an association reported alongside other risk factors — not a statement of cause.
Source: Government of Canada, Health Infobase — Suicide, self-harm, and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: Key statisticsGovernment of Canada, Health Infobase, Suicide, self-harm, and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: Key statistics
Last updated May 26, 2026
Government of Canada key statistics summary
Presented as an association only. No causal claim is made or implied.
Note on comparison: the 65.5% figure comes from the Statistics Canada Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (2023 reference period), while the 32% figure comes from the 2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cycle reported by the Public Health Agency of Canada. They use different measures and should not be read as a change from one number to the other.
One situation. Different children. Different needs.
The child being hurt
How do we help them feel safe, heard and confident again?
The child causing harm
What's driving the behaviour, and how can we help them make different choices?
The child watching it happen
How can we give bystanders the confidence to respond differently?
Understanding behaviour doesn't mean excusing it. It gives us a chance to change it.
No villains. No labels. Better paths.
Harmful behaviour has real consequences. But a child's behaviour does not have to become who they are. MyBullyBuddy is designed to support the child who's been hurt while also creating opportunities for children causing harm to reflect, understand and make different choices.
5% of students reported both being bullied and bullying others — a reminder that children do not always fit permanently into “bully” or “victim” categories.
Public Health Agency of Canada, The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental health · Published June 23, 2025 · Survey year: 2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) cycle
Source: Public Health Agency of Canada — The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental healthMore than one moment
Bullying can touch parts of a young person's life well beyond the incident itself.
Confidence
How a young person sees themselves can shift after repeated harm.
Belonging
Friendships and feeling part of a group can become harder.
School experience
Some places at school can start to feel worth avoiding.
Mental health
Worry, low mood and stress can build up over time.
Behaviour
Children respond differently — withdrawing, lashing out, or going quiet.
The future
What happens now can shape how a young person approaches what comes next.
Help today. Learn for tomorrow.
MyBullyBuddy isn't only about helping someone through today's bullying incident.
- Listen
- Understand
- Support
- Learn
- Prevent
Over time, we hope to learn from appropriately privacy-protected experiences — without exposing the children behind them — so families and schools can better understand patterns, strengthen support and inform prevention.
Privacy-protected aggregate trends drawn from MyBullyBuddy-reported experiences may eventually help participating schools see whether prevention and education initiatives appear to be moving participating-school indicators in the desired direction.
Important limits: this does not show cause and effect, and MyBullyBuddy-reported experiences do not represent all Canadian students. We make no claim that MyBullyBuddy has been clinically demonstrated to change long-term outcomes.
Where would you like to go next?
Sources & evidence
- Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reported. Released November 24, 2025 (table subsequently corrected/updated). Reference period: 2023, Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY). Source: Statistics Canada — Table 13-10-0948-01 — Health indicator statistics for youth aged 12 to 17 years, youth reported
- Public Health Agency of Canada. The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental health. Published June 23, 2025. Survey years: 2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) cycle, compared with the 2018 cycle. Source: Public Health Agency of Canada — The health of young people in Canada: Focus on mental health
- Government of Canada, Health Infobase. Suicide, self-harm, and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: Key statistics. Last updated May 26, 2026. Government of Canada key statistics summary. Source: Government of Canada, Health Infobase — Suicide, self-harm, and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: Key statistics