Queensland schools report 23% rise in cyberbullying incidents as state reviews policy settings

Queensland state schools have recorded a 23 per cent increase in reported cyberbullying incidents over the 2025–26 academic year compared with the previous year, according to data released by the Queensland Department of Education. The rise is attributed in part to improved reporting mechanisms and greater student awareness following the statewide rollout of the Let's Stop Bullying campaign, though departmental officials acknowledged that the increase also reflects a genuine escalation in online peer harassment. The department has commenced a review of its Bullying, Harassment and Victimisation policy framework, with findings expected to inform Queensland's submission to the federal Anti-Bullying Rapid Review. Advocacy groups have called for mandatory reporting thresholds and technology-assisted monitoring to support early intervention.

A 23 per cent increase in recorded incidents demonstrates heightened visibility, but visibility alone does not interrupt harm in progress. Guardii's AI-driven cyberbullying detection operates in real time across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox and other platforms, identifying sustained targeting and escalation patterns as they develop in direct-message conversations and blocking hostile contact before it reaches the child. The system surfaces students in acute distress to parents and school professionals immediately, enabling intervention at the point of crisis rather than after cumulative harm has been reported retrospectively. Where manual reporting depends on student disclosure and adult availability, pattern-based detection acts as a continuous safeguard, closing the operational gap between awareness campaigns and protective intervention.