Gyeonggi Province Office of Education Presents Solutions for Youth SNS at National Assembly…'Phone-Free School' Program to Expand to 300 Schools

The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education (Superintendent Ahn Min-seok) sponsored a forum titled 'Youth SNS Regulation: Why and How' held on the 27th at the Grand Conference Room of the National Assembly Members' Building, and explored ways to create a healthy digital environment for youth and develop SNS protection measures.

The forum was attended by approximately 450 people including students, parents, and educators. The event was jointly hosted by National Assembly Members Kang Kyung-sook, Kim Nam-guk, Kim Yong-tae, Kim Jae-won, Kim Jun-hyuk, and Bu Seung-chan, sponsored by 11 provincial offices of education including Gyeonggi Province, and organized by the Youth Smartphone-Free Movement Headquarters.

The forum was moderated by Kim Yu-jin, a Seoul National University student and promotional ambassador for the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's Phone-Free School program, and proceeded in the following order: screening of promotional videos, congratulatory performance by the Shining School Batucada, greetings and commemorative photo-taking, keynote presentations (Professor Kim Hyun-soo and National Assembly Member Kim Nam-guk), panel discussion, and Q&A.

Professor Kim Hyun-soo from the Department of Psychiatry at Myongji Hospital addressed 'What have children lost due to smartphones and social media?' highlighting the impact on adolescent sleep and mental health. National Assembly Member Kim Nam-guk presented on 'Global legislative trends and implications for youth SNS regulation,' proposing age-based protection standards from overseas and their application to South Korea.

Subsequently, with Lee Gun, director of the Phone-Free School promotion unit, serving as moderator, a panel consisting of Principal Lim Min-taek of Pocheon Samsung Middle School, Teacher Kang Hye-yeon of Uijeongbu Sindong Elementary School, Parent Director Cho Hyun-mi, and student Choi Bo-hee of Pyeongtak Girls' High School discussed practical implementation strategies from the perspectives of schools, families, and students.

The Provincial Office of Education plans to connect this discussion with the 'Phone-Free School' policy and, moving beyond uniform bans or controls, create smartphone usage agreements with school stakeholders. The office will then support the formation of a healthy usage culture by filling the time without smartphones with RAS (Reading, Arts and Culture, and Sports) activities.

Additionally, the office plans to continuously reflect opinions presented at the National Assembly forum regarding youth protection standards, platforms' social responsibility, and student participation and educational alternatives in future policy implementation.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Office of Education selected 100 Phone-Free School pilot schools on August 21st and plans to expand the program to 300 schools in the future.