Profanity as a Basic, Even Threats to Kill Family... "This Is a Text My 3rd Grade Daughter Received"

A Story Posted in a Community Asking Whether to Report School Violence
High Proportion of Verbal Abuse in Cyberspace Among Types of School Violence

A parent of a third-grade elementary school daughter revealed that they found abusive and threatening text messages sent by a classmate on their daughter's cellphone and is unsure whether to report it as school violence. A, a public official, posted a message titled "This is what my daughter experienced" on the anonymous online community for office workers, 'Blind,' on the 2nd, attaching three screenshots of their daughter's phone screen.

A parent of a third-grade elementary school daughter revealed a story about discovering abusive and offensive text messages sent by a classmate on her daughter's cellphone and is unsure whether to report it as school violence.
[Photo source=Online community]

In the post, A said, "Recently, my third-grade daughter received severe verbal abuse from a classmate," and asked for advice, saying, "I don't know what to do." According to the KakaoTalk conversation shared by A, B, who is presumed to be a classmate of A's daughter, sent threatening messages such as, "Hey XX, don't buy the same thing as me in OO (game), you damn XX," and "Do you really want me to kill your parents? I was being nice, but do you think I'm easy? Come to the school bathroom on Monday. I'll kill you."

When A's daughter did not read the messages quickly, B continued with abusive language, saying, "Read XX. You're crazier than a dog. If you don't read it now, you'll be ostracized starting today, and I'll spread rumors that you're a fox," and "I'll curse your parents." Many netizens who saw the post unanimously said, "You must report this." Comments followed, such as, "How upset the parents must be after seeing this," "Kids these days are so scary," "What kind of elementary school kid curses so harshly," and "At the level of a potential criminal."

One netizen who identified themselves as a teacher advised, "Reporting to the (education office) focuses on protecting the victim, so punishing the perpetrator is especially weak in elementary school cases," and added, "It might be better to report to the police or talk to the other child's parents and get an apology."

Increasing Proportion of Elementary Students Among School Violence Offenders

The proportion of elementary school students among those apprehended for school violence by the police has been rapidly increasing. According to data released by the National Police Agency, out of a total of 11,331 school violence suspects in 2020, 572 (5.0%) were elementary school students. In 2021, out of 11,968 suspects, 858 (7.2%) were elementary school students, and in 2022, the number rose to 1,399 (9.7%) out of 14,436 suspects.
[Photo by Kim Dahee, Asia Economy]

The proportion of elementary school students among those apprehended for school violence by the police has been rapidly increasing. According to recent data released by the National Police Agency, out of 11,331 total school violence offenders in 2020, 572 (5.0%) were elementary students; in 2021, out of 11,968 total offenders, 858 (7.2%) were elementary students; and in 2022, out of 14,436 total offenders, 1,399 (9.7%) were elementary students, showing a steady rise.

In particular, among types of school violence, verbal abuse occurring inside and outside school as well as in cyberspace accounted for a high proportion. According to the 'Youth Media Use and Harmful Environment Survey' conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family targeting adolescents, 1,671 students experienced "continuous verbal abuse or being ignored inside and outside school" in 2022.

Additionally, 1,000 students reported being "hit with hands, feet, or objects resulting in injury," 350 students experienced "having money or belongings taken," 467 students were "threatened with hitting or bullying," and 267 students were "ostracized." Regarding cyber school violence, 1,218 students experienced "continuous verbal abuse or being ignored online," 283 students were "threatened with bullying online," and 233 students had "cyber money, game items, or data (Wi-Fi shuttle) taken online."