Cases of cyberbullying involving elementary to high school students increased sharply last year as the new coronavirus pandemic turned many classes online, a survey showed.

According to the survey released by the Blue Tree Foundation, cyberbullying accounted for 16.3 percent of all school bullying cases experienced by respondents last year, up more than threefold from 5.3 percent in 2019.

The survey canvassed 6,230 students attending elementary, middle and high schools in 17 cities and provinces from December to January.

Verbal abuse was tallied as the most frequently experienced type of school violence last year, accounting for 32.1 percent. (Yonhap)