South Korea is considering restricting social media for children under 14 years old.

JAKARTA - South Korean media regulators are reviewing regulations on restrictions on the use of social media for children under 14 years old amid growing concerns about excessive use of digital platforms.

The head of the South Korean Media and Communications Commission, Kim Jong-cheol, said excessive use of social media among teenagers has become a global issue.

"We are studying a plan to gradually ban children under 14 years old from creating social media accounts, as well as limiting exposure to designs and algorithms that can encourage excessive use of the platform for teenagers aged 14 to 19 years old," Jong-cheolsaat explained at the South Korean Presidential Office or the Blue House of South Korea, Thursday, July 16, reported by ANTARA from Yonhap.

He said that at this time there were about seven related draft laws (RUU) being discussed in the National Assembly.

However, Jong-cheol admitted that the policy needed to be considered carefully in view of the experience of implementing the Shutdown Law in 2011.

Shutdown Law is a law in South Korea that prohibits children under the age of 16 from accessing online games from midnight to 6:00 local time.

The law was finally revoked in January 2022 after garnering criticism for being deemed to violate citizens' basic rights and having a negative impact on the gaming and culture industries in South Korea.

The latest proposal regarding restrictions on social media for children comes as a number of countries are beginning to tighten access for children and adolescents to social media.

The European Union proposed regulations restricting access to social media for children after the summer. Meanwhile, Australia became the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts.