South Korea media commission says Meta youth protection changes should apply globally

South Korea’s media regulator said Thursday that Meta’s proposed measures to curb potentially addictive features for young users should ideally apply worldwide, as Seoul considers stricter rules on how social media platforms serve minors.

The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) said in a statement to Reuters that social media companies needed to take greater responsibility in protecting children and adolescents and pointed to seven bills pending in the country’s parliament aimed at strengthening protection for young people online.

The commission “believes that to create an environment in which young Koreans can use social media services safely, it is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of social media providers to protect minors,” the regulator said.

The comments follow landmark U.S. settlements announced Wednesday in which Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and implement a series of changes to Facebook and Instagram after several states accused the company of designing products that contributed to youth addiction and harmed mental health.

Read: Meta reaches a $16.68 billion settlement for harm to children on social media

Measures include limits on usage time, restrictions on notifications, stronger age verification tools, the option for non-algorithmic feeds and hiding likes, and similar engagement metrics for younger users.

The KMCC said that among Meta’s proposed corrective measures, changes to features that may encourage overuse, including algorithm-based content recommendations, display of engagement metrics such as likes, and push notifications designed to attract users back to platforms, would “ideally also apply to young users around the world.”

South Korea has also been moving toward stricter oversight of social media use by minors amid growing concerns about excessive screen time and the role of recommendation algorithms in keeping young users engaged.

In a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung in July, KMCC Chairman Kim Jong-cheol said the regulator was reviewing gradual restrictions on social media use by minors, including limits on algorithms and other features that could encourage excessive use among teenagers.

Kim said seven related legislative proposals were already pending in the National Assembly. A KMCC spokesperson said Thursday that the commission supports efforts to advance the bills through public debate and consultation.

Proposals under discussion include restricting access to social media for users under 14 and limiting algorithms and other platform features that could encourage overuse among teens ages 14 to 19, Kim said.

The debate reflects a broader global push to protect children online, although proposed restrictions on minors’ use of social media have drawn criticism over privacy concerns and questions about their enforcement.