The John Tung Foundation released a survey on "Adolescent Internet Use and Mental Health" on Wednesday, revealing that approximately 5% of teenagers experienced cyberbullying in the past year.
Conducted from March to May this year among more than 2,000 junior and senior high school students nationwide, the survey found that 74% of teens primarily use the internet to watch videos. Nearly 39% of adolescents spend more than six hours online during weekends; those online more than six hours a day exhibited significantly higher levels of stress, loneliness, and depressive emotions compared to those using the internet for less than one hour.
According to the statistics, 4.9% of teenagers endured cyberbullying during the past year, or an estimated 54,000 students nationwide. Among the victims, 24% reported suicide attempts or self-harm, as cyberbullying heightens feelings of stress, isolation, and depression. However, 17% of teens chose not to seek help from others, while those who did primarily turned to their classmates and friends (32%), followed by their mothers (23%). Only a small single-digit percentage of students sought help from teachers.
Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Chen Chih-tsai (陳質采) emphasized that cyberbullying takes complex forms, and teenagers should develop digital media literacy and emotional regulation skills for dealing with real-time online interactions. She advocates a five-step response strategy: "cool down, leave the screen, save evidence, block harassers, and talk to someone." Retired baseball star Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志), serving as the campaign ambassador, shared his own experiences with online harassment during his professional career, encouraging people not to let negative online comments define their self-worth and suggesting physical activities like running or exercising as healthy outlets for stress relief.