After Australia, South Korea’s Media Commission Nominee Proposes Curbs On Teen Social Media Use: Report

by | Dec 16, 2025 | General

The nominee for the head of South Korea’s media commission, Kim Jong-cheol, has reportedly expressed his intention to prioritize the implementation of social media restrictions for teenagers.

Teen Social Media Limits Key Priority, Kim Says

Kim, during a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, emphasized the necessity of imposing limitations on social media use by teenagers, citing it as a crucial step to safeguard the youth, reported Reuters. He stated that this initiative is a fundamental part of the commission’s mission to ensure a secure and orderly communication environment for the public.

When questioned about the possibility of adopting measures similar to those implemented in Australia, Kim asserted that such restrictions are essential for the protection of young people.

See Also: Elon Musk Says He Could ‘Probably’ Extend Human Lifespan, ‘But I Don’t Want To’ Because People Must Die For Society To Progress

Reddit Takes Australia’s Teen Ban To Court

Last month, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from using major social platforms, prompting tech giants like Reddit (NASDAQ:RDDT) to take legal action.

Reddit has challenged Australia’s new Social Media Minimum Age law in the country’s highest court, arguing that the recently implemented ban on early teens is unconstitutional. While complying with the law, Reddit claims it infringes on free political communication and says it should be exempt because it does not qualify as a social media platform.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk said the platform’s actions were mandated by Australian law, noting that it removes users from X who do not meet the age requirements.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said platforms such as Discord, Roblox (NASDAQ:RBLX), WhatsApp, Google Classroom, Pinterest (NYSE:PINS), Microsoft’s GitHub, and YouTube Kids are not classified as age-restricted social media and are exempt from the ban.

The potential move by South Korea reflects a growing global concern over the impact of social media like Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:META) Instagram and Facebook, and Alphabet‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) YouTube on young users and the need for regulatory measures to protect them.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.