Over 80 pc of S. Korean teens, adults concerned over AI-based online abuse

Seoul, March 30 More than 80 per cent of South Korea's teenagers and adults expressed concerns over online abuse involving the misuse of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as the creation of deepfake videos and disinformation, a poll here showed on Monday.

According to the poll conducted from September to November last year on teenagers and adults by the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), 89.4 percent of teenagers said they recognise the seriousness of AI-driven cyber violence, while 87.6 percent of adults said the same.

The survey was conducted on 9,296 students from fourth-grade elementary school to third-year high school, and 7,521 adults aged 19 to 69, reports Yonhap news agency.

Teenage respondents cited the ease of creating content with AI tools as their top concern, while adults expressed fears over the potential for repeated harm from AI-generated materials.

The poll additionally showed 42.3 percent of teenagers experienced some form of cyber abuse in 2025, down 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier. The figure for adults came to 15.8 percent, up 2.3 percentage points over the same period, said the report.

For both teenagers and adults, strangers accounted for the largest share of abusers, followed by friends.

"Cyber abuse is not just an ethical issue online, but an issue that can harm people's dignity and violate the right to happiness as guaranteed by the Constitution," said KMCC Chair Kim Jong-cheol, noting the government will make efforts to promote the healthy use of digital platforms, the report mentioned.

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