Seoul: Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it is in discussions with the South Korean government regarding potential restrictions on children's use of social media. Philip Chua, Meta's Asia-Pacific general manager for product public policy, shared these insights during a "Screen Smart" roundtable in Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Meta has been exploring with the Korean government possible strategies to safeguard teenagers from online risks on social media platforms. Chua highlighted potential measures, including capping children's daily use of Facebook and Instagram to two hours and limiting access during late-night hours. Additionally, he mentioned that Meta is contemplating reducing the daily limit to one hour per application, although YouTube and TikTok have not joined this global initiative for enhancing online safety for children.
While Chua expressed opposition to blanket restrictions on social media, citing possible unintended effects, he emphasized that any implemented restrictions should empower parents to intervene when deemed necessary. Meanwhile, several countries, such as Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, have either enacted legislation or announced plans for age-based restrictions on children's social media access. South Korea is currently evaluating similar measures.