The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has announced it will review regulations on social media platforms for teenagers. The review comes as there have been concerns that current regulations are not effectively protecting teenagers from self-harm content and cyberbullying on social networking services (SNS). KCC Chairman, Kim Chong-in, stated on the 8th that he will “review the matter of whether to regulate SNS operators to block self-harm content, such as deep cuts, and implement measures to protect teenagers.” Chairman Kim added, “We will also look into whether it is necessary to regulate the operators to delete or block cyberbullying posts.” Currently, SNS operators are only required to delete or block content that “clearly” encourages self-harm. However, as there have been cases where teenagers have been exposed to self-harm content that does not clearly encourage self-harm, such as photos of deep cuts, the need for strengthened regulations has been raised. In response, Chairman Kim stated, “We will review whether it is necessary to regulate content that does not clearly encourage self-harm, but may lead to copycat acts, such as deep cuts.” The KCC plans to hold a public hearing next month to collect opinions from experts and the public on the regulation of SNS operators. The KCC will then finalize its measures to regulate SNS operators and take action. Chairman Kim emphasized, “Protecting teenagers is the top priority for the KCC.”
The Children's Welfare Ministry is considering revising the rules for reviewing SNS content related to self-harm among teenagers. Currently, the Broadcasting Media Communication Review Commission (방미심위) only considers the depth of distress when deciding whether to block access to such content. However, this approach has failed to effectively block self-harm content on online platforms.
The Commission recently proposed reviewing the rules to improve the assessment of SNS self-harm information and enhance protection for young users. The issue is particularly pressing, as a recent study found that 34.5% of 13-18 year olds had viewed self-harm content online in the previous month, with 72.9% of them experiencing unwanted exposure through recommendation algorithms.
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