Honestly I would not have a problem with this, but maybe I am wrong. Anyone support allowing kids to have social media accounts?:
Korea’s media watchdog said Thursday it is considering a social media restriction against children aged 14 years old and younger amid escalating concerns over excessive use of such platforms.
Kim Jong-cheol, the chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, made the remarks at a policy briefing in Cheong Wa Dae, emphasizing that excessive social media use by teenagers is a worldwide problem.
“We are reviewing, in phases, a plan to restrict children under 14 years of age from creating accounts on social media platforms, and limiting exposure to designs and algorithms that could encourage excessive use of such platforms for teens aged 14 to 19,” Kim said.
I don’t think this law is meant to target US social media companies. I think it is meant to target speech certain politicians don’t agree with:
The U.S. Department of State expressed “significant concerns” over Korea’s recently revised Information and Communications Network Act, commonly known as the “fake news” law, amid worries that the law could restrict free speech and negatively affect American platforms operating here.
“The United States has significant concerns with the ROK government’s approval of an amendment to the Network Act that risks negatively impacting the business of U.S.-based online platforms and undermining free speech,” the department’s press office said in response to an inquiry from The Korea Times, referring to Korea by an abbreviation of its official name, the Republic of Korea.
“We expect the ROK to deliver on its commitment to ensuring that U.S. companies are not discriminated against and do not face unnecessary barriers in terms of laws and policies concerning digital services,” it added.
It would be interesting to see how many people in Korea would support this ban? I wonder how this would be enforced though?:
The nominee for the Korea Media Communications Commission (KMCC) said Tuesday he would consider introducing a ban on teenagers’ use of social media platforms to protect underage users from harmful content online.
Kim Jong-cheol, a professor at Yonsei Law School who was nominated last month by President Lee Jae Myung to lead the KMCC, made the remark during his parliamentary confirmation hearing.
“I believe it is absolutely necessary,” Kim said in response to a question on whether South Korea should introduce age restrictions similar to those adopted by Australia.
“Youth protection is one of the core issues among my key responsibilities, and I am prepared to pursue this task with a strong commitment,” he added.
It is kind of surprising that Kakao is not able to dominate the younger social media market in South Korea:
Instagram has emerged as the social media app South Korea’s teens spend the most time on, outpacing KakaoTalk by more than double, data showed Monday.
According to data from mobile marketing and data analysis company IGAWorks, Korea’s smartphone users under 20 spent a total of 94.1 million hours scrolling on Instagram in June, making the app the leading social media platform in popularity for the age group. This figure was nearly double the time they spent on the next most popular app, mobile messenger KakaoTalk, with 48.2 million hours.
Instagram’s popularity is particularly salient in the under-20 age group, given that KakaoTalk is the most used social media app among Korea’s general population.
