The study was based on survey data of more than 279,000 children and adolescents from 44 countries across Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

The highest levels of cyberbullying were experienced by boys in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Moldova, and Poland, while the lowest levels were reported in Spain, WHO said. In most places, cyberbullying peaked when young boys were 11 years old and young girls were 13.

“Virtual forms of peer violence have become particularly relevant since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when young people’s worlds became increasingly virtual during times of lockdown,” the report said.