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New paper on "COVID-19, school closures and (cyber)bullying in Germany"

A study by Hendrik Sonnabend, Helen Rahlff, and Ulf Rinne titled "COVID-19, school closures and (cyber)bullying in Germany" was published in the journal Education Economics. Using Google Trends data, the authors show that during the school years affected by the measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of school bullying in Germany decreased by about 29 percent, while the prevalence of cyberbullying increased by about 40 percent compared to the period before the pandemic. Even after the school closures, a further increase in cyberbullying can be observed, while the frequency of school bullying remains at the pandemic level. This implies that bullying through electronic communication has not only become more prevalent but has also established itself sustainably.

Link to the study