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Comparison of Cyberbullying before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea

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  • So Young Shin

    (Department of Police Administration, Joongbu University, Geumsan 32713, Korea)

  • Yeon-Jun Choi

    (Department of Aviation Security Protection, Kwangju Women’s University, Gwangju 62396, Korea)

Abstract

Because of the implementation of social distancing measures following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face interaction has plummeted, which has resulted in the prolific use of social networking services (SNS) and increased activity in the cyberspace environment. This is especially true for teenagers and young adults with the shift to online classes in the education sector, which has increased the chances of being exposed to cyberbullying. This study attempts to determine a strategy for counteracting cyberbullying in the post-COVID-19 era by identifying the factors that have contributed toward greater aggression by adolescents in South Korea in 2020 when the spread of COVID-19 was at its height. To achieve this, we employed the Cyberbullying Circumstance Analysis dataset from the Korea Communications Commission for the time frame of between 2019 and 2020, with 4779 and 4958 participants, respectively. The causes and effects that led to cyberbullying were investigated using binary logistic regression analysis. By reviewing the research data targeted towards Korean adolescents, our analysis found that the average age of those who engage in cyberbullying decreased in 2020 compared to 2019. In addition, cyberbullying awareness at school and the school’s capability of controlling it influenced the number of cyberbullies from a statistical grounding, which could be found only in the 2020 dataset. An approach to establishing policies in schools to contain preemptive measures and increase cyberbullying awareness has been proposed to prevent such mishaps in the post-COVID-19 era.

Suggested Citation

  • So Young Shin & Yeon-Jun Choi, 2021. "Comparison of Cyberbullying before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:10085-:d:643065
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rice, E. & Petering, R. & Rhoades, H. & Winetrobe, H. & Goldbach, J. & Plant, A. & Montoya, J. & Kordic, T., 2015. "Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization among middle-school students," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(3), pages 66-72.
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    4. Inmaculada Méndez & Ana Belén Jorquera & Cecilia Ruiz Esteban & José Manuel García-Fernández, 2020. "Profiles of Mobile Phone Use, Cyberbullying, and Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-10, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ying Guo & Hongyu Zhang & Yufei Xie & Xin Tian & Na Luo & Yan Zhang, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Survey of National Chinese College Students’ Mental Status during COVID-19 Pandemic: Using a Compiled Stress Response Questionnaire," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Karla Dhungana Sainju & Huda Zaidi & Niti Mishra & Akosua Kuffour, 2022. "Xenophobic Bullying and COVID-19: An Exploration Using Big Data and Qualitative Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Qiong Wang & Xiao Luo & Ruilin Tu & Tao Xiao & Wei Hu, 2022. "COVID-19 Information Overload and Cyber Aggression during the Pandemic Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Depression/Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Confucian Responsibility Thinking," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Jordyn Manis & Shannon L. Stewart, 2024. "A Snapshot of Peer Relationships in Children and Youth: Pre- Versus During COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(12), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Anna Sorrentino & Francesco Sulla & Margherita Santamato & Marco di Furia & Giusi Antonia Toto & Lucia Monacis, 2023. "Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Prevalence among Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Bárbara Machado & Paula Lobato de Faria & Isabel Araújo & Sónia Caridade, 2024. "Cyber Interpersonal Violence: Adolescent Perspectives and Digital Practices," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(7), pages 1-22, June.

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