Some 42.3% of Korean youth and 15.8% of adults have experienced cyberbullying, either as victims or perpetrators, a government survey found. Among youth, middle school students reported relatively higher rates, while among adults, those in their 20s were most likely to have experienced cyberbullying.
The Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission (BCMC) and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) released the "2025 Cyberbullying Survey Results" on Wednesday.
The survey was conducted from September to November last year, covering a total of 16,817 respondents ranging from fourth-grade elementary school students to third-year high school students, as well as adults aged 19 to 69.
Text and instant messages were the most common channel for cyberbullying among both youth (43.8% of perpetrators, 41.4% of victims) and adults (51.4% of perpetrators, 58.0% of victims). Online games ranked second among youth (35.7% of perpetrators, 35.3% of victims), while social networking services ranked second among adults (31.2% of perpetrators, 33.5% of victims).
By type, verbal abuse online accounted for the highest share of cyberbullying experiences for both youth and adults, whether as perpetrators or victims. The most common source of victimization for both groups was "a complete stranger" — 51.9% for youth and 45.5% for adults.
Retaliation for the other party's behavior was the most frequently cited motive for cyberbullying among both youth (36.5%) and adults (40.6%). However, the psychological states felt after committing cyberbullying diverged sharply between the two groups. Among adults, "feeling justified" was the most common response at 57.6%, an increase of 18.9 percentage points from the previous year. In contrast, youth most commonly reported feeling "sorry and regretful" at 60.8%.
Some 19.3% of youth and 21.0% of adults said they had used digital hate speech. Among youth, hate speech targeting physical appearance (10.0%) ranked highest for the second consecutive year, with the response rate rising. Among adults, hate speech related to political orientation (14.9%) remained the most common category, also with an increasing response rate.
Awareness of cyberbullying involving generative artificial intelligence is also growing amid the recent spread of the technology. Some 89.4% of youth and 87.6% of adults perceived AI-powered cyberbullying as a serious problem.
The BCMC said it plans to strengthen cyberbullying prevention education in response to the changing digital environment, reflecting the survey results. "Cyberbullying goes beyond a mere ethical issue in the online space — it undermines human dignity and infringes on citizens' constitutional right to pursue happiness," BCMC Chairman Kim Jong-chul said. "We will work to spread a healthy digital culture and prevent the latest forms of cyberbullying that exploit artificial intelligence."