A global debate over how to protect children from the risks of social media is gathering pace, but Japan is resisting the blanket age bans being adopted elsewhere. Instead, the country is considering a system that would place greater responsibility on technology companies while combining stricter age verification with safer platform settings, digital education and parental supervision.
The approach was examined by the Japan Times, which reported that governments around the world are responding to concerns about smartphone addiction, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and children’s exposure to harmful or radical content. France’s parliament has approved a ban on social media use by children under 15, while the United Kingdom has moved towards restricting access for those under 16. Australia has already barred children under 16 from major platforms, with Indonesia and Malaysia adopting similar restrictions.
Japan, however, has so far rejected a blanket prohibition. Government officials and experts have argued that children should be protected from online risks without being deprived of the benefits of digital communication and access to online communities.
A government expert panel established by the internal affairs ministry concluded in June that a uniform age ban would be “undesirable”. Its reasoning was that social media had become an essential communication tool for young people and that the risks varied considerably between platforms.
Instead, the panel recommended stronger age verification, safer default settings and greater responsibility for technology companies. It also emphasised the continuing importance of digital education and parental supervision.
Yet Japan’s position has begun to evolve in response to developments overseas. A draft interim report released in July by the Children’s and Families Agency took recent international measures into account. According to media reports, the document recommended stricter age verification and said that “it is important to continue discussions and build a system for protecting children that is in line with reality”.
The shift reflects how deeply digital technology has become embedded in childhood. Government data indicates that about 99% of Japanese children aged 10 to 17 use the internet through smartphones or other devices. The government aims to determine by the end of 2026 whether new legislation is necessary.
For proponents of Japan’s approach, the central issue is not simply whether children should be prevented from using social media, but how they can be protected while retaining legitimate access to digital communities. Masahiro Saito, a professor at Sendai University who has researched children’s internet safety for about two decades, argues that an across-the-board prohibition could also harm young people.
“If you impose a blanket ban on use by everyone under 16, you deprive children who use social media appropriately of their rights,” Saito said.
Online communities can be particularly important for children who are hospitalised, live in remote areas or struggle to find suitable communities in their offline lives. Social media can also provide a channel for children experiencing abuse, running away from home or feeling unsafe within their families.
Kensuke Suzuki, a sociology professor at Kwansei Gakuin University who studies young people’s information behaviour, warned that a blanket prohibition could have unintended consequences. Children might move towards less visible online spaces or misrepresent their ages, potentially making exploitation more difficult to identify.
Japan’s preference for education, supervision and filtering rather than direct prohibition reflects its longstanding approach to children’s internet use. But the government is increasingly looking towards technology companies to carry a larger share of the responsibility.
Many major platforms already require users to declare that they are at least 13, but Japanese policymakers are considering measures that would make companies more effective at enforcing their existing age requirements. The internal affairs ministry panel has also proposed that protective features should be activated by default.
Such safeguards could limit children’s exposure to inappropriate material and restrict design features intended to maximise engagement, including infinite scrolling, autoplay and rewards for maintaining consecutive daily use.
Some major platforms have already introduced additional protections. TikTok displays warnings after extended periods of use, while TikTok and Instagram have introduced age-based controls designed to limit contact between teenagers and unrelated adults.
Saito said some of these changes were influenced by the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which has pushed major technology companies towards stronger protections for minors. Because large technology companies frequently apply similar systems across different markets, European regulation can influence users elsewhere, including Japan, through what is known as the “Brussels effect”.
The issue is particularly significant because engagement-driven design lies at the heart of the attention economy. Platforms seek to keep users online for longer periods, partly because increased engagement can generate greater advertising revenue. Saito argues that companies should therefore be required to address features that encourage excessive or dependency-like use rather than leaving children to manage the problem themselves.
Yet Japan’s proposals still leave significant questions about enforcement. Current measures do not establish strong penalties or fines for companies that fail to verify users’ ages adequately or protect children from harmful content.
“Without penalties, social media companies have little incentive to go that far,” Suzuki said, arguing that Japan may eventually require stronger regulation supported by meaningful sanctions.
Age verification itself presents another set of difficulties. Possible approaches include linking social media access to age information confirmed when a smartphone contract is signed or using Japan’s My Number identification system. But not everyone possesses a My Number card, while requiring users to provide identification directly to social media platforms could raise privacy and data-security concerns.
Australia’s experience also illustrates the challenges of enforcing age restrictions. Despite the country’s new rules, many children reportedly continued to access social media after the restrictions came into force.
The Japanese debate also extends beyond social media. Excessive smartphone use remains a wider concern, regardless of whether age restrictions are introduced. Data released in June by NTT Docomo’s Mobile Society Research Institute found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was physically present.
Suzuki argues that regulating social media alone may therefore fail to address the broader problem of smartphone dependence. Children also need to develop the ability to manage their own screen time, supported by education and technological tools such as reminders, optional time limits and automatic locks.
For young people themselves, the question is closely connected to everyday life. Rena Yoshie, a 15-year-old high school student in Aichi Prefecture, received her first smartphone in fifth grade during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schooling and communication became increasingly digital.
“I mainly used it to look up things I was curious about, listen to music and keep in touch with friends. At the time, I saw it as a useful tool,” she said.
“Compared to then, smartphones have completely changed into something that we cannot manage without.”
Yoshie opposes a blanket age restriction and instead supports policies that help children develop the skills needed to navigate the digital world. “Children need to learn how to use smartphones properly, identify reliable information and recognize misinformation from a young age,” she said. She suggested compulsory courses or tests before children begin using smartphones or social media.
Saito’s research indicates that more than 90% of Japanese junior high and high school students have received some form of digital-literacy education. But knowledge does not necessarily translate into responsible behaviour, particularly when users become emotionally absorbed in compelling or disturbing content.
Education, he argues, must therefore be combined with parental controls and technological safeguards. Parents themselves also have a role in demonstrating appropriate behaviour.
“If you tell a child to stop while you yourself are constantly using your phone, your words have no persuasive force,” Saito said.
Japan’s emerging policy therefore represents a different response to the international movement towards age restrictions. Rather than treating exclusion from social media as the primary solution, Tokyo is considering a framework in which technology companies, parents, schools and children all carry part of the responsibility.
The unresolved challenge is whether such a model can protect children effectively without requiring the sweeping restrictions adopted elsewhere. With almost all Japanese teenagers already connected to the internet, the government’s decision by the end of 2026 could help determine whether protection and digital access can coexist — or whether Japan, like other countries, will ultimately conclude that stronger limits are necessary.
