Trend Analysis of News Keywords about Youth Safety - Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to analyze the changes in social interest and key issues regarding adolescent safety before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using BigKinds, provided by the Korea Press Foundation, a total of 92,912 news articles related to adolescent safety were collected and analyzed from 2018 to 2023. The collected data were categorized into three periods: pre-pandemic (2018-2019), pandemic (2020-2021), and post-pandemic (2022-2023), followed by an analysis of news keyword trends. The findings revealed that, first, “prevention,” “policy,” and “protection” consistently emerged as core keywords across all periods, confirming that adolescent safety remains a sustained societal concern. Second, during the pandemic, keywords such as “COVID-19,” “quarantine,” and “online” became prominent, highlighting the increasing importance of safety in digital and contactless environments. Third, in the post-pandemic period, new risk factors, such as “drugs” and “Jamboree,” surfaced, underscoring the need for proactive and predictive responses. This study suggests that adolescent safety policies must extend beyond physical protection to encompass integrated strategies addressing challenges in digital environments. By proposing a policy framework to ensure adolescents' safety in both online and offline contexts, the study aims to contribute to their secure and healthy growth.