The spread of policies that would limit teens’ social media use is favoured by seven out of 10 South Koreans in a poll taken on 1st September, as parents are increasingly worried about their children’s excessive use of social platforms.

The Korea Press Foundation last month polled 1,000 people between the ages of 14 and 58, finding that 70.7 percent favored a policy like that, and 29.3 per cent were opposed.

However, among teen respondents (one-fifth of all respondents), 59 per cent opposed the plan, and 41 per cent supported it.

16.8 per cent of all the respondents said 15 would be the correct age to place such a restriction, followed by 14.9 per cent saying 18 would be the correct age to place such a restriction, and 13.1 per cent saying that 11 or younger would be the correct age to place such a restriction.

But most of those who responded said they would find that even a policy like that would have restrictions on how much teens can use social media, with some saying they would worry about teens being able to use other people’s accounts or going to an alternative platform that would still let them access social media.

The poll revealed 59.8 per cent thought platforms should do more to create a safe environment for social media usage, instead of imposing a restriction on those who use social media.

In July, the country’s media watchdog brought up the idea of restricting social media for children under 14, citing that heavy usage by teenagers is a problem all over the world.