Will social media face 'shutdown law' restrictions?

As international efforts to regulate teens’ social media usage gain momentum, calls for similar measures in the Republic of Korea are growing. Experts warn that effective solutions are urgently needed, pointing to Korean adolescents’ heavy social media use and the mounting problems associated with it.

A survey on smartphone dependency released last year by the Ministry of Science and ICT revealed that 40.1% of Korean teens are at risk of over-reliance on smartphones. This means four in ten adolescents could experience physical, psychological, or social challenges due to excessive smartphone use.

The report also found that 34.7% of children under 10 and 36% of teens under 19 admitted they couldn’t control their short-form video consumption. These figures are notably higher than the 23% reported among adults.

Several lawmakers have introduced bills this year to regulate social media use among young people. In August, Rep. Cho Jung-hoon of the ruling People Power Party proposed an amendment to the Information Protection Act to limit daily social media use for teens under 16. In July, Rep. Yoon Gun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea introduced a bill to require social media companies to block users under 14. Another proposal, dubbed the "Youth Filter Bubble Prevention Act," led by Rep. Kim Jang-kyeom of the ruling party, would mandate parental consent for access to addictive content. Without such consent, the law would require platforms to display content in chronological order instead of using algorithms.

Public opinion appears to back these measures. A global survey conducted in August by Ipsos, which polled over 23,000 people in 30 countries, found that 57% of Korean respondents supported banning social media use for children under 14.


김보라 기자 purple@donga.com