Samsung Hosts '2021 Pureun Elephant Online Forum'... "Preventing Cyberbullying"

(Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Samsung, together with the Pureun Namu Foundation, held the '2021 Youth Cyberbullying Prevention Blue Elephant Online Forum' on the 3rd.

The forum was part of the 'Blue Elephant' project for youth cyberbullying prevention, jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education, Pureun Namu Foundation, Community Chest of Korea, and Samsung. It was broadcast live on the Pureun Namu Foundation's YouTube channel for the second time following last year.

This forum, themed 'Cyberbullying Vaccine, Blue Elephant,' was organized to share the current state of youth cyberbullying and propose solutions. It reviewed cyberbullying situations and response cases among domestic and international MZ generations, and presented approaches and countermeasures such as early detection and initial response to cyberbullying.

Peter Smith, Honorary Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London, emphasized in his keynote speech, "We must closely monitor the development of the internet and strive to better understand the influences caused by cultural backgrounds and differences to effectively prevent cyberbullying."

Tina Meyer, founder of the Megan Meyer Foundation in the U.S., who participated as a speaker, said, "After losing my 13-year-old daughter to cyberbullying, I believed that legislation was the top priority and succeeded in enacting the Cyberbullying Prevention Act in Missouri, USA." She added, "Cyberbullying happens very quickly and around the clock, so it is difficult to overcome it alone. Not only the establishment of related laws and systems but also the efforts of all of us are necessary."

Choi Dongju, Professor at the Department of Global Service at Sookmyung Women's University, also suggested, "It is urgent to establish a social system in Korea similar to the U.S. Cyberbullying Prevention Act."

Moon Yongrin, Advisor to the Pureun Namu Foundation, stated, "School violence has not disappeared even in the COVID-19 era; it has now moved to cyberspace. I hope this forum will sound an alarm against the pervasive culture of violence in Korean society and contribute to creating a safe environment where youth can grow up peacefully and happily."

Since February last year, Samsung has collaborated with the Pureun Namu Foundation, a youth violence prevention NGO, the Ministry of Education, and the Community Chest of Korea to launch the 'Blue Elephant' youth cyberbullying prevention education project targeting elementary, middle, and high school students, teachers, and parents nationwide. Five Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung SDS, support the initiative.

Through the 'Blue Elephant' project, Samsung and the Pureun Namu Foundation plan to provide cyberbullying prevention education to 3 million people by 2030. They aim to reduce the current youth cyberbullying experience rate from the 30% range to the 3% range and enhance youths' pro-social competencies such as honesty, promise-keeping, forgiveness, responsibility, consideration, and ownership.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.