98% of parents support restricting minors' smartphone use, survey finds

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Nearly all parents of school-aged children in Korea support restricting minors' smartphone use, with a large majority willing to switch to a dedicated device that blocks harmful features.

According to a survey by Rep. Kim Young-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, released Wednesday, 98.1 percent of approximately 52,000 parents of elementary, middle and high school students in Seoul, Incheon and South Gyeongsang Province said certain limits on minors' smartphone use were necessary.

Respondents also cited a range of other concerns, with 97.5 percent saying smartphones could increase the risk of exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The majority flagged interference with studying at 96 percent, difficulty controlling screen time at 93.9 percent and family conflict at 90.4 percent.

Most parents said they would consider a safer alternative. When asked if they would prioritize a restricted device that still met their child's essential needs, 92.2 percent answered yes.

The top reason was prevention of harmful content exposure at 78.6 percent, followed by communication and safety features at 63.2 percent, prevention of smartphone overdependence at 54.5 percent and prevention of cybercrime exposure at 29.4 percent.

“These survey results show that parents are well aware of the risks of smartphones, but face a reality where they feel they have no choice but to provide one for their child's safety and school life,” Kim said.

As a solution, he called for distributing a student device that keeps calls and safety features while blocking short-form video, social media, gaming and anonymous chat as a smartphone alternative.

Kim said he plans to hold public hearings with the 17 city and provincial education offices, along with representatives of teachers, students and parents, to discuss the device's feasibility in schools.

The move reflects a growing global push to limit minors' access to social media. Last year, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and the United Kingdom announced this month it would implement a similar ban by early 2027, reportedly covering Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

In Korea, five bills aimed at restricting minors' use of social media or strengthening online safeguards for youth are currently pending before the National Assembly.