Get All Access for $5/mo

In South Korea, Parents to Be Alerted When Kids Receive Texts With Curse Words Aiming to clamp down on cyber bullying, the South Korean government will introduce a service that notifies parents if their children receive a text containing foul language.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

South Korea's quest to become the most wired nation on the planet has come at an irretrievable cost to the country's digital-addicted youth.

Whereas internet detox boot camps started opening their doors to hooked teens as far back as 2007, several South Korean gamers have reportedly died from organ failure due to uninterrupted play for days on end. In one tragically twisted case, a married couple became so deeply immersed in a game about taking care of a virtual infant that their actual baby starved to death.

It's no surprise that within this hotly-connected landscape, cyberbullying is proliferating at alarming rates -- particularly via instant-message. A new form of intimidation has even infiltrated South Korea's schools: "cyber imprisonment," whereby tormenters invite their victims into a chat room and harass them within the confines there.

Related: Gangnam: The Silicon Valley of South Korea

And so the South Korean government is clamping down: a brand new service will notify parents whenever their children receive text messages containing curse words. The country's ministry of education told The Wall Street Journal that the initiative would be operational in July.

Sadly, cyber bullying is no stranger to American shores, where a rash of suicides in recent years has brought the issue to the national forefront. These bold "treps even raised $10 million in funding for SocialShield, a platform that monitors kids' online activity.

Given that broadband access in America (68.2 percent of all households) is vastly dwarfed by that of South Korea (a staggering 97.5 percent), is it possible that a similar initiative could benefit American teens, too?

Let us know your thoughts -- sound off in the comments below.

Related: Telltale Signs You Have a Workplace Bully

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

Branding

ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here's How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

AI can be instrumental in building your brand and boosting awareness, but the right approach is critical. A custom GPT delivers tailored collateral based on your ethos, personality and unique positioning factors.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Business News

You Can Now Apply to Renew Your U.S. Passport Online — But There's a Catch

The U.S. State Department officially launched the beta program this week.

Business News

Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchases Struggling, Cult-Favorite Movie Theater Chain

Alamo Drafthouse originally emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021.