Can Online Education Programs Solve the Cyberbullying Problem? Educating South Korean Elementary Students in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, public education has been forced to hold classes online, which increases the time students are on the internet at home. While this situation has significantly reduced the incidence of physical violence between students, cyberbullying has increased sharply, even among younger students. This paper examines a program developed to educate elementary school students on how to best respond to cyberbullying—a social issue that hinders the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The program was applied to students, and the educational effects were tracked. First, we analyzed education programs in South Korea and the United States that teach students how to cope with cyberbullying, extracted characteristic parts, and developed the online education program in accordance with the current situation in South Korea. Next, we conducted an online education preference survey through an independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. As a result, regardless of gender and grade, most study subjects preferred online education. In addition, we conducted a paired sample t-test to determine the prevention and response effects of suggested online education programs. According to the test, the study subjects experienced less cyberbullying and victimization after participating in the online education program. Additional benefits were the students’ increased ability to defend against cyberbullying and a decreased need for defenders and assistants in warding off the cyberbullies.

Change in Factors Affecting Cyberbullying of Korean Elementary School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Since the lockdown from COVID-19, the public education system has switched to online classes, which leads to students spending a considerable amount of time on the internet. This social phenomenon has highlighted the severity of cyberbullying particularly among young people [ 8 , 9 ]; the lower the level of awareness of cyberbullying among younger age groups, the stronger the tendency to resolve conflict with friends online [ 10 , 11 ]. Moreover, Korea needs an alternative for active contact-free classes because of social distancing and dependence on various online platforms, which can lead to even more serious situations as elementary school students progress to higher grades.…”

From Fake Reviews to Fake News: A Novel Pandemic Model of Misinformation in Digital Networks

“…Moreover, several fake news continues to be widely shared and consumed across all digital networks. However, such fake news and reviews will reach their goal only if it gets a wider audience and creates an impact within the society or community [45]. On the other hand, social media plays a vital role in connecting with online customers, especially regarding online shopping and trade [46,47].…”

Exploring the Importance of Gender, Family Affluence, Parenting Style and Loneliness in Cyberbullying Victimization and Aggression among Romanian Adolescents

“…Girls are significantly more likely than boys to be cyber-bystanders in Australia [ 32 ], the Islamic Republic of Iran [ 33 ], and Spain [ 34 ], and among Jewish adolescents in Israel [ 19 ]. However, there is no difference by gender among Arab adolescents in Israel [ 19 ] and in the Republic of Korea [ 35 , 36 ].…”