No 3-Hour Continuous Appearance of Children on YouTube... Restriction on Content Misinterpreted as Abuse

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] From now on, children are not allowed to broadcast continuously for more than 3 hours on YouTube, and content that involves child abuse or could be mistaken for abuse must not be created. It also includes guidelines that child and adolescent internet personal broadcast participants should refrain from late-night broadcasts after 10 p.m.

On the 30th, the Korea Communications Commission announced guidelines to protect children and adolescents appearing on internet personal broadcasts with these contents. These are voluntary compliance guidelines targeted at children and adolescents who produce and host content, their guardians, and other producers. The Commission explained, "As internet personal broadcast content featuring children and adolescents has surged, issues such as child abuse and sexual harassment controversies have arisen, highlighting the need to protect the rights of participants."

According to the guidelines, content that abuses children and adolescents or could be mistaken for abuse must not be produced. Children and adolescents must not be exposed to physical violence, danger, or excessive mental anxiety and fear. Content involving gambling or inducing gambling tendencies, content promoting discrimination and hatred based on gender, region, age, disability, religion, race, etc., and sexually explicit content causing sexual shame or provocative content are also restricted.

Producers must explain the purpose and nature of production, distribution platforms, and revenue-related matters to children, adolescents, and their guardians in advance and obtain consent. Child and adolescent participants are prohibited from conducting or appearing in live broadcasts late at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., broadcasting continuously for more than 3 hours without breaks, or live broadcasting for more than 6 hours per day. Businesses must implement technical measures such as suspending reports, comments, and chats, and obtain guardian consent during live broadcasts. Platform operators such as YouTube, AfreecaTV, and Twitch have also agreed to comply with these guidelines. The Commission plans to promote the guidelines in cooperation with major multi-channel network (MCN) operators. They will also actively inform one-person media students at the Viewer Media Center and the Korea Radio Promotion Association about the guidelines.

Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, said, "I hope that internet personal broadcasting will be reborn as a healthy platform with infinite possibilities through these guidelines," and added, "We will prepare legal and institutional improvement measures to prevent children and adolescents from being unfairly exploited or exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation on the internet in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.