Meta will introduce teen account supervision and management features to its text-based social networking service (SNS) 'Threads' starting next week. Regarding whether the 'usage time limit' will be applied to South Korea as agreed with 47 U.S. state governments, the company kept its words to a minimum, stating it is willing to discuss it with the government. Meta's position is that side effects, such as workaround accounts, could occur if teens' use of SNS is completely banned.
Philip Chua, head of Public Policy for Meta Asia-Pacific, said at the 'Screen Smart Roundtable' held at Meta Korea in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul on the 10th, “From the 14th to the 18th of this month, we will apply teen account management and supervision features to Threads worldwide, including South Korea.” This is interpreted as a measure resulting from its growing influence, with Threads surpassing 500 million monthly active users (MAU) worldwide as of last June.
Teen accounts are an account mode that includes management and supervision features, such as parents setting usage time limits. Everyone between the ages of 14 and 18 must use a teen account. Features such as contact and interaction limits, displaying age-appropriate content, and time limit reminders are automatically configured.
Guardians who register supervisory features for their child's Threads account can check and set daily application usage time, manage night sleep mode (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.), and control the scope of post tagging on the Family Center. Direct approval authority over key settings related to their child's privacy and content is also granted.
What draws the most attention globally is whether Meta will limit teens' SNS usage time. After settling lawsuits over teen SNS addiction with 47 U.S. states and others on August 26 (local time), Meta decided to introduce protective measures such as 'two hours of daily usage' and 'restricted usage from midnight to 6 a.m.' to Instagram and Facebook teen accounts.
Regarding what level of teen SNS protective measures Meta will take in South Korea, it only expressed a willingness to discuss and did not answer in detail. The European Union (EU) previously stated that protective measures equivalent to the settlement agreement between Meta and U.S. state governments should also be taken in Europe.
Chua explained, “In the U.S., we are considering lowering the restricted SNS usage time for teens to 60 minutes per app (Instagram and Facebook),” adding, “We are willing to discuss with the South Korean government what solution would be appropriate for South Korea.”
Meta maintains that regulations completely banning teens' use of SNS have low effectiveness, so it aims to enhance teen safety at the service design stage.
Chua emphasized, “A total ban does not work and produces unintended consequences,” adding, “Regulations should be designed in a direction that ensures parent choice while equipping age-appropriate experiences and safe defaults.”
He then added, “The best method is for the entire ecosystem to apply together in a direction where the operating system (OS) level, such as Apple iOS and Google Android, verifies age upon initial device setup and provides an experience suitable for it.”
Experts who participated in the panel discussion that day also agreed in unison that it is important to contemplate ways for parents and teens to use SNS safely.
Park Il-jun, president of the Digital Literacy Association, said, “It is important to build a relationship where children can speak to their parents without hiding the difficulties they experience online,” adding, “Parents, as partners creating healthy social media usage habits with their children, must empathize with their child's emotions, consult together on how to respond to problems, and find solutions.”
Lee Ji-yeon, professor at the Graduate School of Education at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said, “Regarding teens' social media use, rather than the time itself, we must look together at what purpose it is used for, what impact it has on daily life such as sleep or conversations during meals, and whether they can stop when they want to stop,” adding, “It is important for parents to understand the context and difficulties of their child's usage and form a mentoring relationship that helps the child regulate online activities by themselves.”
