Will Japan follow Australia’s lead and ban children from social media?
A new panel is studying how prolonged social media exposure affects young people, with youth suicide among issues likely to be addressed
Experts say it is far too early to determine whether the Australian experiment is a success and can be replicated in Japan, although there is a widely held belief that more needs to be done to limit the negative consequences of unfettered internet access for young people.
In January, Japan’s Children and Families Agency set up a panel of experts to examine online use by young people, identify the impact of prolonged exposure to social media and review measures taken in other countries to address overuse and cyberaddiction.
The panel is also examining how easily teenagers can access harmful online content and will issue recommendations on whether children should be restricted from using social media and from what age.
Under Japanese law, filters block access to harmful websites and social media companies are required to make their “best efforts” to prevent minors from visiting sites designed for adult audiences, although experts admit anyone sufficiently determined can bypass these defences.
Some local authorities in Japan have introduced ordinances banning children from using social media, but these are recommendations that impose no penalties on those who ignore them, according to Vickie Skorji, a senior adviser to the Tokyo-based TELL Lifeline.