Korean parents welcome gov't move to curb minors' social media use but questions remain

A new plan by Korea's media watchdog to curb social media use for minors drew mixed reactions from parents, with some cautiously optimistic and others raising concerns.

On Thursday, the Korea Communications Commission said it was considering restricting children under 14 from creating social media accounts and limiting addictive platform features for users under 19.

Hong Eun-hee, a parent of a middle school student in Seoul, welcomed the proposal, saying she hopes it will help her child and other teenagers spend less time on social media.

"They watch [YouTube] Shorts and [Instagram] Reels whenever they have a spare moment.

They say they will watch for 10 minutes, but it becomes 20 minutes or an hour," Hong said.

"They have difficulty controlling it themselves." She said her child often checks her phone while doing homework and resists putting it away before bed.

"When parents try to control it on their own, it ends in a fight," Hong added.

Parents also cite sleep deprivation, declining concentration, cyberbullying and exposure to gambling, sexual content and other harmful material as major ...