[The Police File] Youth SNS Addiction Problem: We Must Not Miss the Golden Time

"Social networking services (SNS) are a waste of life."

This is a phrase attributed to Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United (a professional football team in the UK). It was said in reference to an incident in 2011 when the team's striker Wayne Rooney engaged in an unnecessary argument with a fan on Twitter (now X). The statement implied that time spent on SNS could be better used for other activities. Although somewhat paraphrased, numerous examples proving this continue to emerge daily, adding to Ferguson’s ‘mysterious victory’.

Thirteen years later, with the widespread adoption of smartphones, misinformation and harmful content have become rampant, making SNS addiction an even greater social issue. Particularly, children and adolescents falling into internet or smartphone addiction is a phenomenon common across countries worldwide. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) released research findings indicating an increase in gaming and SNS behaviors among youth globally that can be considered addictive.

South Korea is no exception. In 2024, the total number of elementary, middle, and high school students in South Korea is 5.25 million. According to last year’s survey by the Korea Communications Commission, the smartphone usage rate among teenagers is 99.6%, which is virtually all of them. Among these, over 40%, or more than 2 million youths, are at risk of smartphone overdependence or addiction.

Smartphone or SNS addiction during adolescence is highly likely to lead to serious consequences later on. The brain may become accustomed to fast and intense information and unresponsive to slow and weak stimuli in the real world, a phenomenon known as ‘popcorn brain.’ Digital sex crimes, such as the production and distribution of illegal footage like deepfake sexual exploitation materials, are also closely linked to SNS. Notably, among digital sex crime suspects (as of September this year) recorded by the police, teenagers account for 324 out of 387 suspects (83.7%), which is significant.

Given this situation, regulating SNS use among adolescents is becoming a global trend. California in the United States has enacted a law that makes it illegal to intentionally provide addictive content to minors under 18 without parental consent. The United Kingdom plans to implement a law next year imposing fines of up to 10% of global revenue on SNS companies that fail to regulate harmful content. Australia has set the minimum age for SNS use at approximately 14 to 16 years old, and French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed to the EU that the age limit be set at 15.

Meanwhile, South Korea is only now beginning discussions. In the National Assembly, Jo Jung-hoon of the People Power Party has proposed an amendment to the Information Protection Act to set daily SNS usage limits for youths under 16, and Yoon Gun-young of the Democratic Party has proposed an amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act to require SNS operators to refuse membership registration for children under 14.

Some express concerns that such regulations might excessively restrict youths’ rights or infringe on their privacy. However, it is not the role of adults to stand by and watch as SNS use threatens the lives and safety of young people. As major advanced countries strengthen public responsibility for platforms, it is time for South Korea to establish appropriate regulations that can respond to these changes.