Most middle and high school students are aware of sex crime cases involving illegal deepfake videos. Half of them perceived such incidents as occurring because of 'pranks.'
The Ministry of Education announced the results of a survey on Nov. 11, titled 'School Deepfake Illegal Video-Related Youth Awareness Survey.' This survey was conducted among 2,145 first- and second-year middle and high school students from Nov. 5 to 27.
Among the surveyed students, 97.2% responded that they were aware of deepfake sex crime cases. As a result, they reported feeling anxious that they could 'unknowingly become victims (76%),' that 'people around them could be perpetrators (45.4%),' or that they did not know 'how to respond if victimized (29.7%)'.
Regarding the causes of sex crimes related to illegal deepfake videos, 54.8% cited 'pranks.' It was followed by sexual curiosity (49.3%), thinking they wouldn't be caught (44.1%), and weak punishment (38.2%).
Middle and high school students said they switched their social media accounts to private (34.9%) or deleted photos (32.1%) in response to deepfake sex crime incidents. The percentage of respondents who took these actions was higher among female students than male students. Furthermore, 4.1% said they completely withdrew from social media.
Additionally, when asked about who is responsible for the proliferation of illegal deepfake videos, 92.0% of the students responded that it was the mistake of those who misappropriated photos to create fake pictures or videos. About 75.9% pointed out weak punishments as the issue.
However, 13.6% indicated that the responsibility lies with the victims, to which the Ministry of Education noted the need for awareness education.
Regarding whether they have ever seen false sexual videos or photos made with deepfake technology, 95.3% of the respondents said they had 'never' seen them. The proportion who had experienced 'their own photos or videos being misappropriated and suffering damage from illegal deepfake videos' was 2.8%.
The Ministry of Education plans to implement a special education week to prevent deepfake sex crimes and improve awareness until the 20th, reflecting the results of this survey. They plan to produce and distribute necessary teaching materials, educational video content, and card news for primary and secondary schools this month.
Park Sung-min, Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Education, said, “In this survey, students pointed to ‘pranks and curiosity’ as the main reasons for deepfake sex crimes,” adding, “There is a need to focus more on preventive education and awareness improvement so that it can be recognized as a serious crime.”