"Daily Limit of Two Hours for SNS for Children Under 14"…An Min-seok Declares 'Three Major Reforms for Youth SNS' at National Assembly
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent An Min-seok) declared the 'Three Major Reforms for Youth SNS' at the National Assembly on the 29th to create a safe and healthy digital environment for youth, and called for relevant institutional improvements and legislation.
Superintendent An, along with National Assembly Members Kim Nam-guk and Kim Jae-won, Song Su-yeon, Chair of the Teachers Union Federation, Lee Geon, Head of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's Phon Free Initiative Task Force, Choi Seung-il, former Hwaseong High School Principal, and parent representatives Jeong Eun-ja, Kwon Young-hye, Kim Young-mi, and Kim Yun-jeong, read the 'Declaration of Three Major Reforms for Youth SNS,' and pledged to cooperate from school-level implementation to institutional improvements to create a healthy digital environment for youth.
The 'Three Major Reforms for Youth SNS' focus on ▲'Algorithm Stop'—setting daily usage limits on recommendation algorithms for children under 14 ▲'SNS Safety Fence'—blocking direct messages (DMs) from unfamiliar external users by default ▲'SNS Platform Accountability'—strengthening platforms' responsibility for age verification and youth protection.
First, they proposed setting daily usage limits on recommendation algorithms provided to children under 14, and introducing an 'autonomous rest mode' that pauses recommendation functions if usage exceeds a certain duration. The goal is to allow youth to control their own usage time and regain agency in digital consumption.
Additionally, they urged that youth accounts block DMs from external users by default, except from those permitted to receive messages such as friends or mutual followers, to preemptively prevent contact that could lead to cyber sexual crimes, deepfakes, financial extortion, drug and gambling offenses, and other crimes.
Furthermore, they stated that platform companies must strengthen their social responsibility by reinforcing age verification on SNS platforms and imposing legal liability and substantial sanctions on companies that fail to fulfill youth protection obligations.
Superintendent An stated, "Since smartphones and SNS have already become deeply embedded in children's daily lives and learning, unconditional prohibition is not the answer," and added, "We must work together in the National Assembly and education sector to create institutional safeguards so that children can self-regulate their usage and be protected from criminal risks."
Superintendent An further emphasized, "The time has come to move beyond public discourse to legislation. National-level measures are necessary."
Meanwhile, prior to the press conference, Superintendent An attended a National Assembly seminar on 'The Achievements and Contemporary Education of Baeksan An Hee-je' held at the National Assembly Members' Hall and delivered remarks and received a commemorative plaque. The seminar was held to reflect on the life and independence movement of Baeksan An Hee-je and examine the significance of his spirit in today's context.
Superintendent An recalled the life of Baeksan, who practiced for national independence through talent cultivation via education and support for the independence movement through Baeksan Trading Company, and emphasized the importance of history education in properly transmitting the history and spirit of the independence movement to future generations.