More than three-quarters of online harassment complaints received by NetSafe's new hotline were from adults.
Cyber bullying was not just a problem associated with young people, NetSafe says. Photo: 123RF
The government-funded hotline started operating late last month and is aimed at helping combat cyber bullying and abuse under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
It found more than 75 percent of the complaints were from bullying victims aged 18 or older.
NetSafe said the data busted the myth that online bullying and abuse was a problem only associated with young people.
NetSafe chief executive Martin Cocker said the numbers were not surprising, although he thought only a fraction of incidents are being reported.
"We encourage anybody experiencing online bullying or abuse to contact NetSafe to discuss their options. They have no obligation to progress a complaint and all discussions are entirely confidential."
The people who were calling ranged across all ages, and in time he thought they would be able to gauge trends in ages and the kinds of harassment they were experiencing, Mr Cocker said.
