KakaoTalk Introduces Parental Controls for Short-form Video and Open Chatting

To help parents manage their children's KakaoTalk usage more safely, Kakao is introducing a 'parental control feature' this month, allowing parents to directly set the scope for minor children's short-form video viewing and open chat participation.

The new parental control feature allows guardians registered on Kakao Family accounts to invite their minor children and set usage limits for short-form video and open chatting. Parents can easily set up these controls within KakaoTalk without needing to go through customer service. Specific adjustments include granting access for short-form video viewing, comment posting, and search usage, as well as blocking new open chat creation and participation.

The parental control feature operates through mutual consent between the guardian and the minor. Children over 14 years old can request deactivation without parental approval, and the feature is automatically deactivated once they turn 19.

Kakao first introduced measures to protect minors in December 2021, and simplified the application process in April last year to allow legal representatives to request protection measures independently.