Japan draft proposes limits on young children’s online exposure
The draft calls for schools to develop children’s judgement and for service providers to establish easy ways to seek advice and report problems.
- Japan's Children and Families Agency has drafted age-specific internet guidance to limit children's online exposure.
- The proposal advises parents to limit social media for young children, prioritizing direct interaction for those aged two and under.
- The draft also assigns roles to schools, which should teach appropriate online judgment, and to online service providers, who are asked to create safer systems.
- The recommendations change with age, advising parents of teenagers (13-15) to respect their independence and privacy online rather than attempting total control.
Japan is preparing internet guidance tailored to children’s ages, a draft showed on Tuesday (10 November).
Parents and other guardians are expected to be advised to limit young children’s exposure to social media and other online content.
The Children and Families Agency’s draft also outlines roles for schools and online service providers.
Schools should help children build the judgement needed to use social media appropriately.
Easy access to advice and a simple way to report problems are also proposed for children.
Online service providers are asked to establish systems that meet those needs.
The draft recognises that growing older changes both children’s social media interactions and the online environments they encounter.
It sets out precautions for six groups spanning ages zero to 18.
Direct interaction with other people should take priority from birth through age two, a crucial period for mental and physical development.
Parents should consider why their children use social media or other digital services and whether that use is necessary.
They should also decide what content children see and prevent excessive time being spent on those services.
A safe online environment should give six- to nine-year-olds more opportunities to make choices and think for themselves as they begin using devices for education.
For 13- to 15-year-olds, the draft describes growing involvement in social media exchanges.
It advises parents against trying to manage all their online activities, placing emphasis instead on respect for their independence and privacy.
The document identifies the main issues requiring discussion before the guidelines can be completed, with the aim of creating an appropriate environment for children’s use of social media and the internet.
The agency hopes specific measures to protect children from risks associated with social media and other online services will be discussed at expert panel meetings and in other forums.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
