The COVID-19 Pandemic Disrupted Both School Bullying and Cyberbullying

One-fifth of US high school students report being bullied each year. We use internet search data for real-time tracking bullying patterns as COVID-19 disrupted in-person schooling. first show that pre-pandemic searches contain useful information about actual behavior. then and cyberbullying dropped 30–35 percent schools shifted to remote learning in spring 2020. The gradual return instruction starting fall 2020 partially returned levels. This rare positive effect may partly explain recent mixed evidence on the pandemic’s impact students’ mental health well-being. (JEL H75, I12, I21, I28, I31)