Parents Who Have Restricted Short-Form Content Sigh in Frustration
Criticism Mounts Over the Inconvenience of Usage Restrictions
With the addition of short-form content in the updated version of KakaoTalk, complaints from parents are growing.
Hong Min-taek, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Kakao, announces the KakaoTalk redesign. Yonhap News Agency
After KakaoTalk, the "national messenger," underwent a major overhaul on September 23 for the first time in 15 years, parents have expressed their confusion and frustration. On various online communities, parents of elementary school children have vented their anger, posting comments such as, "My child has seen all sorts of short-form videos in just a few days. I was so shocked that I deleted KakaoTalk," and "When my 10-year-old didn’t come out of their room for an hour, I checked and found them watching short-form videos on KakaoTalk."
Many parents with elementary school children are making efforts to prevent their kids from being exposed to short-form videos like Reels or Shorts by not installing apps such as YouTube or Instagram on their children's phones, or by setting time limits. However, in the case of KakaoTalk, many parents have no other choice but to install it so their children can participate in group chats for school or private academies. Unexpectedly, KakaoTalk has started to provide short-form content, exposing children to this type of media.
Kakao explained, "You can watch short-form videos and share and communicate with friends," and provided instructions for parents on how to prevent their children from being exposed to short-form content. However, users have complained that the process to restrict exposure is inconvenient. According to the Kakao customer service center, as part of "minor protection measures," legal guardians can apply to restrict access to open chat and short-form services for users under 19 years old. Guardians must verify both their own and their child's mobile phones on the Kakao customer service page and send an email with a certificate of family relationship. The protection measure must be renewed after one year.
A Kakao representative stated, "We do not restrict short-form content exposure based on user age," but added, "With this update, we have expanded the scope of minor protection measures from just open chat to include short-form content."
User interface (UI) of KakaoTalk friends tab revamped into a feed format. Screenshot from Kakao YouTube.
Meanwhile, with this update, the existing "Open Chat" tab in KakaoTalk has been changed to the "Now" tab. From the user's perspective, the structure requires passing through short-form content to access open chat, leading to criticism that it forces users to watch short-form videos.
Several experts have warned that excessive exposure to short-form content may negatively affect teenagers' concentration and their ability to process information. Additionally, concerns are growing about the potential problems of indiscriminate exposure to provocative scenes contained in short-form videos.
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