Will Japan follow Australia’s lead and ban children from social media?

2026.03.18 00:20 A high school girl uses her smartphone in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AFP A Japanese government agency has opened discussions on imposing a ban on children accessing social media sites, potentially following Australia’s lead in prohibiting under-16s from the most popular online platforms. 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 is needed to limit the negative consequences of unfettered internet access to youth. 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 actions taken in other countries to deal with overuse or even 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 ban 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 always bypass these defences. Junior high school students in Japan. A new panel is examining how easily teenagers can access harmful online content and will issue recommendations on restrictions if any. Photo: Shutterstock Some local authorities in Japan have introduced ordinances banning children from using social media, but these are recommendations that impose no penalties on anyone who ignores them, according to Vickie Skorji, senior adviser to the Tokyo-based TELL Lifeline. Still she appreciates that such guidelines are available. “They are trying to give parents guidelines on what they can do and that is important, because more and more we are hearing reports of young people becoming addicted to being online or us

原文链接: 南华早报