Cyberstalking is increasing at a faster rate than traditional stalking and is disproportionately affecting young people, women, and members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL.
The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology, is the first to use nationally representative data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) to examine the prevalence and perception of cyberstalking over an eight-year period (2012–2020).
It revealed that while cyberstalking remains less common than physical stalking, the proportion of respondents who reported being cyberstalked increased from 1.0% to 1.7% over the study period, outpacing both physical and cyber-enabled stalking.
Despite its growing prevalence and psychological impact, the study also highlighted the fact that many victims do not perceive cyberstalking as a crime, indicating a significant gap in public understanding and legal recognition.
Dr Leonie Tanczer, senior author of the study from UCL Computer Science, said: "Our findings show that cyberstalking is not only becoming more common, but it is also under-recognised as a serious offence. Many victims feel what happened to them was 'wrong but not a crime', which has profound implications for people seeking help and consequently for crime recording. It's likely that cyberstalking is underreported for this reason."
Stalking became a specific criminal offence in 2012 and is defined as repeated, unwanted contact. Cyberstalking as a crime is not well defined, but is described as 'threatening behaviour or unwanted advances directed at another, using forms of online communications' by the Crown Prosecution Service and is considered a prosecutable offence. Cyber-enabled stalking refers to physical crimes that use digital technologies to increase their reach, such as identifying a person's location through their smartphone to follow them in the real world.
Cyberstalking is a growing problem that isn't always recognised
The researchers analysed responses from 147,711 participants aged 16–59 across England and Wales to assess stalking prevalence, demographic risk factors, and perceptions of criminality.
The results indicated that in the last 12 months, physical stalking affected 1.3% of respondents, cyber-enabled stalking affected 2.2%, and cyberstalking affected 1.5%.
However, cyberstalking was the only category to have increased significantly over time, showing a 70% increase from 1% of respondents in 2012/13 to 1.7% in 2019/20.
In contrast, between 2012 and 2020 physical stalking increased by only 15% and cyber-enabled stalking decreased in prevalence, highlighting the shift from calls and text messages to more internet-focused stalking behaviours.
The analysis also revealed that public perception of cyberstalking did not necessarily correspond to its legal status. Overall, nearly half (48.7%) of people who had been stalked in any way in the last 12 months said their experience was 'wrong but not a crime', while only 26.7% identified it as a crime. However, those who faced solely physical stalking were more likely to view their experience as a crime compared to those who experienced solely cyberstalking.
Cyberstalking was also more likely to be committed by individuals not known to the victim, with just 32% of cyberstalking victims having a domestic relationship with the perpetrator, compared to 69% of cyber-enabled stalking victims.
Women, young people and lesbian, gay and bisexual community most affected
Young people aged 16-24 had the greatest chance of being cyberstalked (2.4%), compared to just 1.0% among 45-59-year-olds.
Women and lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals were also disproportionately affected, with women nearly twice as likely as men to experience all forms of stalking. Lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents were more than twice as likely to be cyberstalked compared to heterosexual participants (data on trans victims was not collected in the CSEW).
The study also found that younger victims were least likely to view their experience as criminal, despite being most affected. However, women (who face higher victimisation rates) were more likely than men to perceive stalking as a crime.
More needs to be done to recognise and protect against cyberstalking
The researchers are calling for improved public education, clearer legal definitions, and enhanced support services to address the growing threat of cyberstalking. They also recommend updates to the CSEW to better capture the nuances of stalking experiences, including more inclusive gender and sexual identity options and clearer distinctions between online and offline behaviours.
Dr Madeleine Janickyj, first author of the study from UCL Computer Science, said: "There is a clear disconnect between the lived experience of cyberstalking and how it is understood legally and socially. This not only affects whether victims seek help, but also how police and other services respond.
"It is possible that normalisation is a factor, particularly for young people who are just so used to cyberstalking that they don't see it as a crime. This is perhaps reflected in wider attitudes that view what happens to people online as somehow not as bad as what happens in the real world.
"Beyond this, there are issues with how we're responding to and measuring cyberstalking that may be preventing victims from coming forward. In Freedom of Information requests, for example, the Met police admit that officers are not routinely recording online crimes and that cyber-enabled and cyberstalking cases will be much higher than reported in official statistics.
"We believe there is a growing need to educate people about and safeguard them from the rising threat posed by cyberstalking."
