A majority of US teenagers say they have been victims of online harassment or bullying, and that social media companies aren't doing enough to fight the problem, a survey showed Thursday.

The Pew Research Center survey found that 59 percent of US teens reported being bullied or harassed online, and 63 percent said it was a major problem for people their age. 

The most common type of harassment cited was offensive name-calling, cited by 42 percent, while 32 percent said someone had spread false rumors about them on the internet and 16 percent said they had been the target of physical threats online.

The Pew Research Center survey found that 59 percent of US teens reported being bullied or harassed online, and 63 percent said it was a major problem for people their age

The researchers surveyed 743 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 and 1,058 parents between March 7 and April 10. 

Among teens surveyed, one in four said they had received unwanted explicit images, received repeated questions about where they are, what they're doing or who they're with from someone other than a parent or had explicit images of them shared without their consent.

'Name-calling and rumor-spreading have long been an unpleasant and challenging aspect of adolescent life,' said Monica Anderson, the lead researcher for the Pew report. 

'But the proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media has transformed where, when and how bullying takes place.'

The most common type of harassment cited was offensive name-calling, cited by 42 percent, while 32 percent said someone had spread false rumors about them on the internet and 16 percent said they had been the target of physical threats online

According to Pew, similar shares of boys and girls have been harassed online, but girls are more likely to be the targets of rumor-spreading or non-consensual explicit messages.

Teens from lower-income families are more likely than those from higher-income families to encounter certain forms of online bullying, Pew said.

Most young harassment victims feel that teachers, social media firms and politicians are doing a poor or fair job in addressing the problem of cyberbullying.

The teens believe parents are doing better -- with 59 percent saying that parents are doing a good or excellent job in addressing online harassment.

One of the factors fueling online harassment is that many teens are on their phones or online so frequently. 

According to Pew, similar shares of boys and girls have been harassed online, but girls are more likely to be the targets of rumor-spreading or non-consensual explicit messages

Most young harassment victims feel that teachers, social media firms and politicians are doing a poor or fair job in addressing the problem of cyberbullying, according to the study 

A previous Pew study showed 95 percent of US teens had a smartphone and nearly half were online 'almost constantly.'

The latest report showed two-thirds of teens who say they are online almost constantly have been cyberbullied. 

That's compared with 53 percent of those who use the internet several times a day or less.

Pew said that 59 percent of parents interviewed during the research were worried about their teen being harassed or bullied online, and a similar percentage were concerned about their teen sending or receiving explicit messages.

ARE PARENTS IGNORANT ABOUT CYBER-BULLYING?

More than half of teenagers say they have been victims of cyber-bullying, a study found in October.

But parents are ignorant about their children's online behaviour and experiences – largely underestimating what they get up to while on the internet.

The survey of 320 teenagers by the Sir John Cass's Foundation revealed that 53 per cent had had their picture posted online to embarrass them.

However, only a fifth (22 per cent) of parents believed that their child had this experience online.

Nearly one in five teens (17 per cent) reported being threatened online, whilst fewer than 10 per cent of parents believed this had happened to their child.

The report, Beyond The School Gates, was put together by University of Buckingham psychologist Dr Masa Popovac and the Sir John Cass's Foundation and was based on detailed interviews with 320 teenagers aged 13-18 years and 130 of their parents.