{
  "id": 18879705,
  "title": "Gov't weighs tighter social media restrictions for minors, targeting addictive features",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/govt-weighs-tighter-social-media-restrictions-for-minors-targeting",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-08T06:42:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20261108/govt-weighs-tighter-social-media-restrictions-for-minors-targeting-addictive-features"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Korean government is contemplating the implementation of stricter regulations on social media platforms used by minors. These proposed measures aim to target addictive features that could contribute to excessive use among young users. The government is considering extending the restrictions beyond the current age limit for account registration to encompass recommendations algorithms and other platform functions. This policy shift raises concerns about the potential impact on minors' freedom of expression and their access to valuable information. According to the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), they are contemplating amendments to the Information and Communications Network Act. These amendments would prohibit children under the age of 14 from creating social media accounts and require platform operators to verify the age of their users. The initial proposal for these measures was made during a presidential policy briefing in July. The proposed regulations specifically target features such as personalized recommendation algorithms and infinite scrolling, which could potentially encourage excessive social media consumption. The aim is to regulate platform design to protect minors from the potential harms associated with excessive use, while still ensuring that they have the opportunity to engage with information and express themselves online.",
  "summary": "The government is considering expanding restrictions on minors’ social media use beyond age limits for account registration to include regulations on recommendation algorithms and platform features to curb excessive use. However, questions remain over how the proposed measures can effectively protect minors from excessive social media use while safeguarding their freedom of expression and access…",
  "key_points": [
    "Korean government considers stricter social media rules for minors",
    "Proposed measures target addictive features like algorithms and scrolling",
    "Policy shift raises concerns about freedom of expression and information access"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Expanding oversight from simple registration limits to platform design shifts the regulatory focus toward mitigating the psychological harms of addictive algorithms and infinite scrolling for younger users.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}