South Korea’s media regulator said Meta’s proposed protections for younger users should ideally be applied worldwide as Seoul considers stronger restrictions on how social media platforms serve children and teenagers.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) said social media companies should take greater responsibility for protecting minors and pointed to seven bills currently pending in parliament aimed at strengthening youth safety online.
The comments follow Meta’s landmark U.S. settlements, under which the company agreed to pay up to $18 billion and introduce changes to Facebook and Instagram after states accused it of contributing to youth addiction and mental-health harms.
Measures include usage limits, notification restrictions, stronger age verification, non-algorithmic feed options and reduced visibility of engagement metrics such as likes.
The KMCC said features that may encourage excessive use — including recommendation algorithms, engagement metrics and push notifications — should ideally be restricted for young users globally rather than only in selected markets.
South Korea is also considering tougher domestic rules, including possible social media restrictions for children under 14 and limits on algorithmic features for teenagers aged 14 to 19.
The debate reflects a broader international push to regulate children’s social media use, though such measures continue to raise questions over privacy, age verification and enforcement.
