Domestic media reports indicate that Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has begun considering a plan to impose age restrictions on social media platforms as a measure to address social media addiction.
Media outlets report that some form of legal regulation could be enacted as early as 2027. If this comes to pass, it is highly likely that Japan will implement a system similar to the age verification laws already in place in other countries.
Since these are paid articles, the full text is not available. However, even from the portions that are accessible, it is clear that the Japanese government is open to introducing age verification measures to protect children.
I have translated the freely accessible portion of the article from Japanese and am quoting it below.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is launching measures to address social media addiction among minors. In addition to requiring service providers to incorporate age restrictions at the point of sign-up, the ministry is considering the creation of a system to assess the risks associated with each social media platform. It will discuss the matter with relevant government agencies, with legislative amendments also under consideration, and aims to reach a conclusion as early as this summer.
As a first step, the ministry will require social media providers to incorporate age-appropriate filtering functions from the outset. Specific age thresholds will be determined in the future. Currently, in many cases, these functions are turned off at the time of app download.
Efforts to regulate minors’ use of social networking sites (SNS) are gaining momentum around the world. This is due to a growing consensus that dependence on SNS can have adverse effects on both mental and physical health and increase the risk of becoming involved in criminal activity. Last December, Australia enacted the world’s first law banning use by those under 16. Japan’s Agency for Children and Families also established an expert panel in January of this year and is considering introducing new regulations as early as fiscal year 2027, with a view to amending the law.