Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Department of Communication, Culture and Society, University of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland.
J Med Internet Res. 2024 Mar 22;26:e45563. doi: 10.2196/45563.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent stay-at-home mandates, adolescents faced isolation and a decline in mental health. With increased online activity during this period, concerns arose regarding exposure to violent media content and cyber victimization among adolescents. Yet, the precise influence of pandemic-related measures on experiences of cyber violence remains unclear. Hence, it is pertinent to investigate whether the pandemic altered the dynamics of cyber violence victimization for individuals.
This study aims to investigate the effects of COVID-19 and exposure to violent media content on cyber violence victimization among adolescents in South Korea.
We used national survey data from 2019 (n=4779) and 2020 (n=4958) to investigate the potential impact of COVID-19 on the prevalence of cyber violence among young adolescents. The data encompassed responses from elementary fourth-grade students to senior high school students, probing their exposure to violent media content, average internet use, as well as experiences of victimization and perpetration.
The analysis revealed a noteworthy decline in cyber victimization during 2020 compared with 2019 (B=-0.12, t=-3.45, P<.001). Furthermore, being a perpetrator significantly contributed to cyber victimization (B=0.57, t=48.36, P<.001). Additionally, younger adolescents (β=-.06, t=-6.09, P<.001), those spending more time online (β=.18, t=13.83, P<.001), and those exposed to violent media (β=.14, t=13.89, P<.001) were found to be more susceptible to victimization.
Despite the widespread belief that cyber violence among adolescents surged during COVID-19 due to increased online activity, the study findings counter this assumption. Surprisingly, COVID-19 did not exacerbate cyber victimization; rather, it decreased it. Given the strong correlation between cyber victimization and offline victimization, our attention should be directed toward implementing real-life interventions aimed at curbing violence originating from in-person violence at school.
由于 COVID-19 大流行和随之而来的居家令，青少年面临着隔离和心理健康下降的问题。在此期间，随着在线活动的增加，人们开始担心青少年接触暴力媒体内容和网络受害的问题。然而，大流行相关措施对网络暴力经历的确切影响仍不清楚。因此，有必要调查大流行是否改变了个人网络暴力受害的动态。
本研究旨在调查 COVID-19 和接触暴力媒体内容对韩国青少年网络暴力受害的影响。
我们使用了 2019 年（n=4779）和 2020 年（n=4958）的全国调查数据，调查 COVID-19 对青少年网络暴力流行率的潜在影响。这些数据包括从小学四年级到高中学生的回答，调查他们接触暴力媒体内容、平均互联网使用情况以及受害和施害经历。
分析显示，2020 年与 2019 年相比，网络受害显著下降（B=-0.12，t=-3.45，P<.001）。此外，作为施害者显著导致网络受害（B=0.57，t=48.36，P<.001）。此外，年龄较小的青少年（β=-.06，t=-6.09，P<.001）、上网时间较长的青少年（β=.18，t=13.83，P<.001）和接触暴力媒体的青少年（β=.14，t=13.89，P<.001）更容易受害。
尽管普遍认为青少年在 COVID-19 期间由于在线活动增加而网络暴力激增，但研究结果却与这一假设相悖。令人惊讶的是，COVID-19 并没有加剧网络受害，反而减少了它。鉴于网络受害与线下受害之间存在很强的相关性，我们应该关注实施现实生活中的干预措施，以遏制源自学校的面对面暴力。
