Blog
Why Young People Fail to Report Harmful Online Experiences
Research shows that 80% of youth who experience negative online interactions never report them. Here’s what parents can do to help.
Most parents assume that if something bad happened to their child online, they’d hear about it. But new research suggests that may not be the case.
In a study of over 1,000 youth ages 9–15 with mental health or neurodevelopmental concerns, researchers from the Child Mind Institute found that one in four experienced a negative online interaction — including cyberbullying, sexual harassment, or doxxing — in the past year. Among those who experienced an incident, nearly 69% said it happened more than once. Yet only 20% reported it.
The problem isn’t that young people don’t care or don’t know something is wrong. There are real, identifiable barriers getting in the way.
Why youth stay silent
The study identified three major barriers preventing young people from reporting harmful online experiences:
- They don’t know how. Many find the reporting process confusing and don’t understand how to use the tools on the platforms they frequent.
- They’re unsure if their experience qualifies. Young people often struggle to determine whether the incident is serious enough to report. When intent and severity are unclear, many default to staying quiet.
- They’re worried about the consequences. Embarrassment, fear of retaliation or escalation, and worries about anonymity are commonly reported. These emotional barriers were especially pronounced in young participants with anxiety or mood challenges.
What parents and caregivers can do
The study found that family dynamics can play an important role in both a child’s likelihood of experiencing online harm and how they respond to it.
Inconsistent discipline and poor supervision were linked with higher rates of negative online encounters. On the other hand, youth from families with open and supportive communication were more comfortable seeking help when something went wrong online. And when given the choice, most preferred telling a trusted adult rather than using platform reporting tools.
Here’s what parents can do:
- Keep communication open. Don’t wait for something to go wrong. Create space for low-pressure conversations about both positive and negative online experiences.
- Make it safe to speak up. To be able to talk openly about their issues with you, youth need to believe that it won’t result in punishment, judgment, or loss of their devices.
- Help them know what counts. When researchers presented hypothetical scenarios, youth were clear about what should be reported. But with their own real experiences, they hesitated. Talk through real and imagined scenarios to help them build confidence recognizing situations in which they should speak up.
- Learn the tools together. Sit down together and get familiar with the blocking, privacy, and reporting features on the platforms they regularly use.
Creating safer digital spaces
The responsibility for online safety shouldn’t fall entirely on children or their families.
If we want young people to report unwanted experiences, the tools and systems around them need to be clearer, safer, and easier to use. Platforms need reporting tools designed with young users in mind. Policies and safety guidance should be written in clear, developmentally appropriate language. This way, children will have a better understanding of what kinds of experiences should be reported and what happens after a report is submitted.
Based on research published in JAACAP Open.
Read the full study
