Online bullying rising again; Kids using AI to humiliate each other, teachers

Cyberbullying has increased since coronavirus pandemic - Credit: - License: DepositPhotos Culture Lifestyle Thursday, 8 October 2026 - 09:39

Online bullying is on the rise again, Offlimits reported on Thursday. The expertise center for online abuse observed an increase involving AI-generated or manipulated images with which schoolchildren humiliate each other or even their teachers online, RTL Nieuws reported.

Between January and September, Offlimits received 955 reports of online bullying or abuse, compared to 860 in the whole of 2025 and 298 in 2024. AI images accounted for 17.4 percent of the reports, up from 2 percent in 2024.

According to Offlimits, young people report that their peers are using AI to create images showing them doing embarrassing or humiliating things. Fake images are circulating online depicting kids kissing, dancing, or vomiting, for example. Some of these images also involve teachers.

For children from some religious backgrounds, the circulation of fake images showing them dancing or kissing can have serious consequences. For all affected children, the images cause a loss of control and feelings of shame, regardless of whether they are real or AI-generated, Offlimits said.

What makes online bullying worse than traditional bullying is that it doesn’t stay at school, Babette Keuning of Offlimits said. “What might have once happened in the schoolyard now continues at home on the phone and spreads rapidly. AI is creating new possibility is in this regard: an image can be altered, someone can be made to appear to have done something they never actually did, and an entire group can then react to it within minutes.”

The expertise center urges parents and schools to discuss online behavior with children and teenagers. Start at an early age and keep having these conversations.