School bullying cases in Hong Kong rise 32% to nearly 500 a year

From 2022 to 2025, Hong Kong schools documented an average of 496 bullying cases annually, marking a 32% increase compared to the period from 2019 to 2022, as reported by the Education Bureau. A youth group suggested this rise can be attributed to heightened mental health awareness leading to more reporting, alongside students finding it challenging to differentiate between casual banter and true bullying.

According to the bureau, public primary and secondary schools collectively recorded about 496 bullying cases per year between 2022 and 2025, a 32% increase from the 377 cases averaged annually from 2019 to 2022. The bureau informed the Legislative Council in 2023 that the number of bullying incidents, encompassing cyberbullying, ranged from 411 in 2019-20 to 413 in 2021-22, averaging 377 cases per year across those three years.

The bureau's figures, sourced from annual questionnaires on guidance and discipline cases in schools, did not provide annual breakdowns for the years between 2022 and 2025, with the current year's data still under compilation. A bureau spokesperson noted that the annual average for bullying cases handled by schools during the 2022-23 and 2024-25 school years was consistently around 496, though cautioned against comparing the two sets of figures due to the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on learning during the first triennium.

Last month, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), indicated that 22.2% of Hong Kong's 15-year-olds experienced bullying at least a few times a month, surpassing the OECD average of 19.6%. Hong Kong ranked 32nd out of 86 countries surveyed.

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, commissioned by the bureau, is now offering advice and counseling services on peer conflict management to students and parents at all primary and secondary schools this academic year. They also have social workers stationed in 59 primary and secondary schools. Andy Chan Ying-kit, head of service at the youth group, pointed to the rise in reporting to increased public awareness of student mental health issues, citing research that links bullying to emotional distress and social withdrawal.

Chan added that younger students often struggle to discern playful jokes from genuine bullying, such as manipulated images targeting victims or persistent exclusion from online chats. He noted that resolving cases has become more complicated, with some students seeking revenge by becoming bullies themselves, complicating fault determination and mediation for teachers and social workers.

Parents have become more vigilant about their children's well-being, and their dissatisfaction with school handling led to confrontations with administrators. Chan advised parents to prioritize their children's emotional well-being over premature escalation, recommending first to comfort the child, listen to their feelings, and address mental health concerns, while acknowledging the importance of seeking justice without demanding immediate consequences.

Schools adhere to a "zero-tolerance" policy towards bullying, providing clear guidelines for schools on handling bullying incidents, mandating serious attention to each case.