Seoul: More than 80 percent 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 showed Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the poll conducted from September to November last year by the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) revealed that 89.4 percent of teenagers acknowledged the seriousness of AI-driven cyber violence, with 87.6 percent of adults echoing similar concerns. The survey involved 9,296 students from fourth-grade elementary school to third-year high school, alongside 7,521 adults aged 19 to 69.
Teenage respondents highlighted the ease of creating content with AI tools as their primary concern, while adults expressed fears over the potential for repeated harm from AI-generated materials. The poll further indicated that 42.3 percent of teenagers experienced some form of cyber abuse in 2025, a slight decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. Conversely, the figure for adults increased by 2.3 percentage points, reaching 15.8 percent over the same period.
The data showed that teenagers were predominantly exposed to cyber abuse via text messages and online gaming platforms. On the other hand, adults reported experiencing cyber abuse mainly through text messages or social media. For both groups, strangers were identified as the largest share of abusers, followed by friends.
KMCC Chair Kim Jong-cheol emphasized, "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." He noted that the government will strive to promote the healthy use of digital platforms to address these concerns.