Online Safety in the US is under heavy strain in 2026: Americans reported a record $20.877 billion in cybercrime losses to the FBI for 2025, and 58.2% of US teens say they have been cyberbullied. New rules are arriving fast, including the amended COPPA Rule (April 22, 2026) and a KIDS Act that passed the House 267-117.
Online Safety in America 2026 – Introduction
Online Safety in the US now means three fights at once: protecting children’s data, stopping cyberbullying, and blocking scams that cost Americans billions. The FBI logged $20.877 billion in reported cybercrime losses for 2025, up 26% from 2024. The FTC counted $15.9 billion in consumer fraud losses from 3 million reports. Teens sit in the middle of all of it. Four in ten say they are online almost constantly, and 58.2% report lifetime cyberbullying.
Lawmakers moved in 2026. The amended COPPA Rule became fully enforceable on April 22, 2026. The House passed the KIDS Act 267-117 on June 29, 2026. A Senate committee advanced the Kids Online Safety Act on August 5, 2026. This report collects the latest verified numbers from the FBI, FTC, Pew Research Center, NCMEC and the Cyberbullying Research Center. Every table lists its source. Where agencies measure the same problem differently, the report says so. Use the figures as a guide to risk, not as a count of every victim, because many people never report.
Interesting Facts About Online Safety in the US 2026
| Fact | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Reported cybercrime losses (FBI, 2025) | $20.877 billion |
| FBI internet crime complaints (2025) | 1,008,597 |
| Consumer fraud losses (FTC, 2025) | $15.9 billion |
| Teens online almost constantly (Pew, 2025) | 40% |
| Lifetime cyberbullying victimization (2025) | 58.2% |
| Cyberbullied in past 30 days (2025) | 32.7% |
| NCMEC CyberTipline reports (2025) | 21.3 million |
| Amended COPPA Rule compliance date | April 22, 2026 |
| House vote on KIDS Act (June 29, 2026) | 267-117 |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026); Federal Trade Commission, testimony to the Joint Economic Committee (March 25, 2026); Pew Research Center (December 2025); Cyberbullying Research Center (2025); National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (2026); Congressional Research Service.
The table shows harm at every level. Adults lost $20.877 billion to cybercrime in the FBI count and $15.9 billion in the FTC count. The two agencies use different intake systems, so the totals overlap and should not be added. The FBI received 1,008,597 complaints, its highest total ever. Teens carry a parallel burden. 58.2% have faced cyberbullying in their lifetime, and 32.7% faced it in the past month.
Child safety data is just as heavy. NCMEC’s CyberTipline took in 21.3 million reports in 2025. The law is catching up on a set schedule. The amended COPPA Rule has applied since April 22, 2026, and the House cleared the KIDS Act by 267-117. Neither step ends the problem, but both set clear federal expectations for platforms that serve minors. Parents should read these numbers as a baseline, not a ceiling, because most victims never file a report.
Teen Internet Use in the US 2026: How Many Teens Are Online Almost Constantly?
TEEN ONLINE HABITS, PEW RESEARCH CENTER (1 block = 2 percentage points)
Use internet daily | █████████████████████████████████████████████████ 97%
Use AI chatbots | ████████████████████████████████ 64%
Online almost constantly | ████████████████████ 40%
Ages 15-17 | ██████████████████████ 43%
Ages 13-14 | █████████████████ 34%
Online almost constantly (2015) | ████████████ 24%
TikTok almost constantly | ███████████ 21%
| Metric | Share of US Teens |
|---|---|
| Use the internet daily | 97% |
| Online almost constantly | 40% |
| Online almost constantly, ages 15-17 | 43% |
| Online almost constantly, ages 13-14 | 34% |
| Online almost constantly a decade ago | 24% |
| On TikTok almost constantly | 21% |
| Use AI chatbots | 64% |
Source: Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025 (December 9, 2025), survey of 1,458 US teens.
Nearly every teen goes online daily, at 97%. The share who say they are online almost constantly reached 40%, up from 24% a decade ago. Older teens lead the pattern. 43% of ages 15-17 report near-constant use, against 34% of ages 13-14. TikTok shows the same climb, with 21% of teens on it almost constantly, up from 16% in 2022.
AI chatbots are the newest exposure point. 64% of teens use them, and about three in ten use them daily. Each hour online adds contact with strangers, targeted ads and data collection. That is why privacy rules for minors matter more each year. A teen who is online almost constantly generates far more personal data than a teen who logs on twice a day. Girls and boys also differ by platform, with girls leaning toward Snapchat and Instagram and boys toward YouTube and Reddit, so risks do not fall evenly across households.
Kids’ Online Privacy Laws in the US 2026: COPPA, KIDS Act and Take It Down Timeline
HOUSE VOTE ON THE KIDS ACT (H.R. 7757), JUNE 29, 2026
Yes | ███████████████████████████ 267
No | ████████████ 117| Date | Action | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2025 | FTC publishes amended COPPA Rule | Updates children’s privacy rules for the first time since 2013 |
| May 19, 2025 | Take It Down Act signed | Targets nonconsensual intimate images, including AI fakes |
| March 5, 2026 | House committee approves KIDS Act | Advances a children’s online safety package |
| April 22, 2026 | COPPA compliance deadline | Requires separate parental consent for third-party sharing and retention limits |
| May 19, 2026 | Take It Down platform duties begin | Platforms must remove reported images within 48 hours |
| June 29, 2026 | House passes KIDS Act | Vote of 267-117 |
| August 5, 2026 | Senate committee advances S. 1748 | Sends the Kids Online Safety Act to the full Senate |
Source: Federal Trade Commission, COPPA Rule (Federal Register, April 22, 2025); Congressional Research Service, Kids Online Safety Act (2026); U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee; U.S. Congress.
The COPPA changes are already enforceable. Operators must get separate verifiable parental consent before sharing a child’s data with third parties for purposes like targeted advertising. They must also set written data retention limits, and the definition of personal information now covers biometric identifiers. The deadline passed on April 22, 2026. The Take It Down Act followed on May 19, 2026, when platforms began facing a 48-hour removal duty for reported intimate images.
Congress is still split on the bigger package. The House passed the KIDS Act 267-117 on June 29, 2026. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn criticized it because it drops the duty of care that their Senate bill keeps. The Senate Commerce Committee advanced S. 1748 on August 5, 2026. As of October 9, 2026, no version of the Kids Online Safety Act has become law. The House version would preempt conflicting state rules but would still let states pass stronger protections for minors. That leaves the FTC and state attorneys general as the main enforcers for now.
Cyberbullying Statistics in the US 2026: Lifetime and Past-30-Day Rates
CYBERBULLYING VICTIMIZATION RATES
2016 lifetime (CRC) | █████████████████ 33.6%
2025 lifetime (CRC) | █████████████████████████████ 58.2%
2016 past 30 days (CRC) | ████████ 16.5%
2025 past 30 days (CRC) | ████████████████ 32.7%
2023 electronic (CDC YRBS)| ████████ 16%
2022 six behaviors (Pew) | ███████████████████████ 46%| Measure | Rate | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime victimization, 2016 | 33.6% | Students ages 13-17 |
| Lifetime victimization, 2025 | 58.2% | Students ages 13-17 |
| Past 30 days, 2016 | 16.5% | Students ages 13-17 |
| Past 30 days, 2025 | 32.7% | Students ages 13-17 |
| Electronic bullying, past year (2023) | 16% | High school students |
| Any of six cyberbullying behaviors (2022) | 46% | Teens ages 13-17 |
Source: Cyberbullying Research Center, national survey of 3,466 students (2025); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2023); Pew Research Center (2022).
The Cyberbullying Research Center shows a steep climb. Lifetime victimization rose from 33.6% in 2016 to 58.2% in 2025. The past-30-day rate nearly doubled, from 16.5% to 32.7%. The center’s 2025 sample covered 3,466 students, and both figures are the highest it has recorded.
The three sources measure different things, so they do not match. The CDC counts only electronic bullying among high schoolers in the past year, which gave 16% in 2023. Pew asked teens about six specific behaviors, such as name-calling, and found 46% had experienced at least one. The gap comes from definitions, time windows and ages. All three agree on direction: cyberbullying is common and rising. The 2025 survey also found that 24.5% of students admitted to cyberbullying someone else in their lifetime, which shows how often targets and aggressors overlap.
Online Scam Losses in the US 2026: FBI Cybercrime Losses by Year
FBI IC3 REPORTED LOSSES
2021 | ██████████████ $6.9B
2022 | █████████████████████ $10.3B
2023 | █████████████████████████ $12.5B
2024 | █████████████████████████████████ $16.6B
2025 | ██████████████████████████████████████████ $20.877B| Year | Reported Losses | Change From Prior Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $6.9 billion | – |
| 2022 | $10.3 billion | +49% |
| 2023 | $12.5 billion | +21% |
| 2024 | $16.6 billion | +33% |
| 2025 | $20.877 billion | +26% |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, Internet Crime Reports 2021-2025.
Reported losses tripled in four years, from $6.9 billion in 2021 to $20.877 billion in 2025. The biggest jump came in 2022, at 49%. The 2025 gain of 26% still added more dollars than any prior year. Complaints rose 17.3% to 1,008,597, so the FBI now averages nearly 3,000 complaints a day.
The FTC shows the same direction with a different count. Consumers reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025, up from $12.5 billion in 2024, across 3 million reports. The FTC says most victims never report, so true losses run higher. It also notes that a rise in reports of losses of $100,000 or more drives much of the growth. The FBI and FTC totals overlap, which is why this report never adds them together.
Online Scams by Type in the US 2026: Where Americans Lose the Most Money
2025 REPORTED LOSSES BY SCAM TYPE
Investment fraud (FBI) | ███████████████████████████████████ $8.65B
Investment scams (FTC) | ████████████████████████████████ $7.9B
Imposter scams (FTC) | ██████████████ $3.5B
Business email (FBI) | ████████████ $3.05B
Social media origin (FTC)| ████████ $2.1B
AI-related (FBI) | ████ $893M
Extortion (FBI) | ▏ $122.5M
Ransomware (FBI) | ▏ $32.3M
| Scam Type | 2025 Reported Losses | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Investment fraud | $8.65 billion | FBI |
| Investment scams | $7.9 billion | FTC |
| Imposter scams | $3.5 billion | FTC |
| Business email compromise | $3.05 billion | FBI |
| Scams that began on social media | $2.1 billion | FTC |
| AI-related complaints | $893 million | FBI |
| Extortion | $122.5 million | FBI |
| Ransomware | $32.3 million | FBI |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026); Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Sentinel Network and social media data spotlight (April 27, 2026).
Investment fraud leads every list. The FBI recorded $8.65 billion and the FTC recorded $7.9 billion. Both agencies point to the same pattern, fewer victims losing very large sums. Imposter scams cost $3.5 billion in the FTC count. Business email compromise cost $3.05 billion in the FBI count. Readers who want the digital asset angle can compare these figures with the crypto fraud statistics in the US.
Social media is now the costliest contact method. Scams that began there cost $2.1 billion in 2025, about 30% of reported scam victims, and Facebook ranked first among platforms. The FBI also logged its first AI category, with 22,364 complaints and $893 million in losses. Older Americans carry the heaviest burden. Victims over 60 filed about 201,000 complaints and reported nearly $7.75 billion, or 37% of the total.
Online Child Exploitation Statistics in the US 2026: NCMEC CyberTipline Data
NCMEC CYBERTIPLINE REPORTS
Enticement 2024 | █████ 546,000
Enticement 2025 | ██████████████ 1.4 million
Generative AI 2025 | ███████████████ 1.5 million
Sextortion 2025 | ▏ 80,000+
| Metric | 2025 Figure |
|---|---|
| Total CyberTipline reports | 21.3 million |
| Files in those reports | 61.8 million |
| Online enticement reports | 1.4 million |
| Increase in enticement from 2024 | 156% |
| Reports with a generative AI link | 1.5 million |
| Sextortion reports | 80,000+ |
| Reports sent directly by victims | 5,700+ |
Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2025 CyberTipline Data (2026).
The CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports in 2025, up from 20.5 million in 2024. Those reports held 61.8 million images, videos and other files. Online enticement hit 1.4 million reports, a 156% jump from 2024. Sextortion accounted for more than 80,000 of them. Victims themselves sent more than 5,700 reports, double the prior year.
Generative AI is the fastest-growing thread. NCMEC counted 1.5 million reports with a link to the technology. Bullying and exploitation can draw on the same stolen photo, and NCMEC has flagged AI-altered images made by offenders and by classmates. For earlier years of peer harassment data, see these cyberbullying statistics in the US. High report counts from large platforms can reflect strong detection, so companies with more reports are not automatically less safe. Eight companies accounted for 81% of all CyberTipline reports in 2025, which shows how concentrated detection and reporting have become.
Online Safety in the US FAQ 2026
What is the biggest online threat to Americans in 2026?
Investment fraud. The FBI recorded $8.65 billion in investment fraud losses for 2025, and the FTC recorded $7.9 billion. Both are the largest single scam category in their data.
How much money do Americans lose to online scams in 2026?
The FBI counted $20.877 billion in cybercrime losses for 2025. The FTC counted $15.9 billion in consumer fraud losses. The totals overlap, so they are two views of the same problem, not one sum.
How many teens are cyberbullied in 2026?
The Cyberbullying Research Center’s 2025 survey found 58.2% of teens ages 13-17 have been cyberbullied in their lifetime. 32.7% faced it in the previous 30 days. CDC data shows 16% of high schoolers faced electronic bullying in 2023.
What does the amended COPPA Rule require in 2026?
Operators must obtain separate verifiable parental consent before sharing children’s data with third parties for non-essential purposes. They must set data retention limits and treat biometric identifiers as personal information. Compliance was due April 22, 2026.
Is the Kids Online Safety Act law in 2026?
No. The House passed the KIDS Act 267-117 on June 29, 2026. The Senate Commerce Committee advanced S. 1748 on August 5, 2026. Neither bill had become law as of October 9, 2026.
Are teens using AI chatbots in 2026?
Yes. Pew found 64% of US teens use AI chatbots, and about three in ten use them daily. That adds a new privacy question for parents, since chatbot conversations can contain personal details about a child.
What is the Take It Down Act?
It is a federal law signed on May 19, 2025. It targets nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated fakes. Covered platforms must remove reported images within 48 hours under the duties that began May 19, 2026.
How common is online enticement and sextortion in 2026?
NCMEC received 1.4 million online enticement reports in 2025, a 156% increase over 2024. More than 80,000 of those involved sextortion. Families can report to the CyberTipline.
Does social media harm teen mental health in 2026?
Teens themselves are split. Pew found 45% say they spend too much time on social media, while 74% say it helps them feel connected to friends. For deeper numbers, read these social media mental health statistics in the US.
Which social media platform has the most scam losses in 2026?
Facebook. The FTC found that people reported losing more money to scams that began on Facebook than on any other platform in 2025. WhatsApp and Instagram ranked second and third. Social media scams cost $2.1 billion in total.
How many fraud reports does the FTC receive in 2026?
The FTC received about 3 million fraud reports for 2025, up from 2.6 million in 2024. More than 1 million of them were imposter scams. Investment scams drew the largest losses at $7.9 billion.
Which age group loses the most to online scams in 2026?
Adults over 60. They filed about 201,000 FBI complaints in 2025 and reported nearly $7.75 billion in losses, roughly 37% of the national total.
How do I report an online scam in 2026?
File a report with the FTC through its ReportFraud site, or with the FBI through its Internet Crime Complaint Center. Report child exploitation to NCMEC’s CyberTipline. Report fast, because a quick call to your bank improves the odds of stopping a transfer.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
