Almost all young Canadians use the internet and one in five have been cyberbullied or cyberstalked, according to Statistics Canada.

Almost all young Canadians use the internet and one in five have been cyberbullied or cyberstalked, according to Statistics Canada.
Photo Credit: Associated Press

Over a million young Canadians harassed online

Almost one in every five Canadians between the ages of 15 and 29 has been either cyberbullied or cyberstalked, according to government statistics.  Almost all Canadians in this age group use the internet.

Of those who experienced some online harassment 36 per cent were bullied but not stalked, 33 per cent were stalked but not bullied, and another 31 per cent experienced both.

Some groups at higher risk

Internet victimization was more prevalent in younger people. One in five of those between the ages of 15 and 20 were victimized compared with 15 per cent of those aged 27 to 29.

Among the groups more at risk of being targeted were homosexual and bisexual youth. Past experiences of assault during childhood, witnessing parental violence and discrimination were also significant factors associated with online victimization.

Cyberbullying and cyberstalking were associated with an increased chance of reporting a mental health condition and having a low level of trust in people. But Statistics Canada warns against concluding that online victimization causes these problems.

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