New research suggests that cyberbullying occurs often among adolescents.

After reviewing 36 studies, researchers found that nearly a quarter of adolescents between the ages 12 and 18 said they were bullied via social media, HealthDay reported. This exposure significantly increased levels of depression among this population.

"When children and youth are cyberbullied, they are often reluctant to tell anyone," Michele Hamm, lead author of the review, told HealthDay. "Prevention and management efforts are likely necessary at multiple levels, involving adolescents, parents, teachers and health care professionals."

For the study, researchers looked at data from 36 studies on cyberbullying to get a better understanding of this phenomenon.

"Social media use is so common among kids and adolescents," Hamm told Reuters. "We wanted to look at if there are documented harms associated with its use."

They found that children exposed to cyberbullying were more likely to be depressed. They also found that this kind of bullying mostly arises from relationships and that girls were most likely to be victims, Reuters reported.

"There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression," Hamm told Live Science.

Despite publicized cases that suggests a strong correlation between cyberbullying and suicide, Hamm and her colleagues found no clear links between the two.

"The associations between cyberbullying and anxiety and self-harm were inconsistent," Hamm is quoted as saying by HealthDay. "Except for one, all of the studies that we found were only looking at relationships at one point in time, so it isn't known whether there is a long-term impact of cyberbullying on kids' mental health."

However, Hamm maintains that cyberbullying can be damaging and thinks parents should encourage open communication with their children to rectify its effects.

"Adolescents are often unaware that anything can be done about cyberbullying, so efforts should be made to increase education regarding how to address it and who to tell, focusing on both recipients and bystanders," she said.

The findings are detailed in the June 22 online edition of JAMA Pediatrics.