TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering new rules to protect children from the risks of social media and plans to compile concrete measures by the end of 2026, but officials and experts remain cautious about introducing a blanket age restriction like those pursued in Australia and the European Union.
Concerns surrounding children’s social media use include physical and mental health problems linked to excessive screen time, cyberbullying, harmful content and financial trouble. Particular attention has focused on "infinite scrolling," a feature that continuously presents short videos and other content and can make it difficult for users to stop viewing.
The European Commission this month called on Meta Platforms of the United States to change its infinite-scrolling function and indicated its intention to restrict social media use by children under the age of 13.
The move represents a significant shift for the EU, which has previously concentrated on requiring social media operators to improve their services and strengthen protections. Its latest approach places greater responsibility on users by seeking to prevent younger children from accessing the platforms.
One member of a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications panel examining young people’s internet use said the EU’s willingness to impose tougher regulations may partly reflect the fact that most major social media operators are American companies, limiting the domestic political and industrial impact of restrictions within Europe.
Moves to impose age limits are spreading internationally. Australia has introduced legislation under which social media companies can face fines for failing to prevent underage users from accessing their platforms. South Korea also announced on July 19 that it would consider age restrictions.
Questions remain, however, over whether such measures can be effectively enforced. Children who want to use social media are likely to search for ways around the rules, including by concealing their age or accessing services through alternative accounts and devices.
The panel member cited reports suggesting that around 85% of young people in Australia continue to use social media despite restrictions. Driving children to use platforms secretly could make their activity more difficult for parents and schools to monitor.
A prohibition could also make digital education harder. Adults may be reluctant to teach children how to use social media safely when the services are officially off-limits, potentially increasing the danger rather than reducing it.
The risks associated with children’s internet use extend beyond excessive screen time. They include viewing adult websites, unauthorized purchases and other billing disputes, cyberbullying, the posting of disruptive or offensive videos, sexually explicit deepfakes created using artificial intelligence, recruitment for illegal part-time work and other criminal activity.
Among these problems, cyberbullying and the posting of harmful content are particularly serious because information shared online can remain accessible for years as a "digital tattoo." Japan has made little progress toward establishing a broad right to have such material erased or forgotten.
Japan’s principal legislation in this area is the Act on Development of an Environment that Provides Safe and Secure Internet Use for Young People. The law was designed to cover children’s internet use broadly, but it was created during the era of conventional mobile phones and has not kept pace with smartphones and modern social media services.
Japan was among the first countries where large numbers of people accessed the internet through mobile phones. Children were already using online services during the feature-phone era, prompting concern over problems such as compensated dating and leading to the creation of the youth internet law.
The legislation places heavy responsibility on mobile communications carriers, including obligations related to filtering services. It also gives parents primary responsibility for deciding how their children use the internet.
Experts say that framework is poorly suited to an environment in which children can easily access social media through smartphones, applications and multiple internet connections. The law has not undergone the extensive revisions needed to reflect the fundamental changes in how young people use digital services.
Children themselves generally understand that social media carries risks. When questioned, high school students often say junior high school students should avoid it, while junior high school students say elementary school pupils should not use it. They rarely argue that their own age group should be excluded.
Many young users are particularly concerned about excessive use. They acknowledge that social media interferes with studying and say they continue scrolling even when they want to stop.
The government must now decide whether to rely on age restrictions, stronger obligations for platform operators, improved filtering and safety functions, digital education or a combination of measures. Its proposals expected by the end of 2026 will seek to balance children’s desire to use social media with the need to protect them from increasingly complex online dangers.
Source: テレ東BIZ
