"As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach," 8 August 2026

Governments worldwide are moving to keep children off social media amid growing concerns over smartphone addiction, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and exposure to harmful and radical content. ...

... Japan ... has so far resisted imposing a blanket age ban, with its approach instead focused on stricter age verification, safer platform settings and greater responsibility for technology companies. ...

A government expert panel concluded in June that a uniform age ban would be “undesirable,” arguing that social media has become an essential communication tool for young people and that risks differ depending on the platform.

The panel, established by the internal affairs ministry, instead recommended stronger age verification, safer default settings and greater responsibility from technology companies, while continuing to emphasize digital education and parental supervision.

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Social media can also serve as an important channel for children experiencing abuse, running away from home or feeling unsafe in their families, according to Kensuke Suzuki ...

Suzuki warned that a blanket ban could push children toward less visible online spaces or encourage them to lie about their age, making exploitation more difficult to detect.

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The internal affairs ministry panel also called for protective features enabled by default. These could include limiting exposure to inappropriate content and restricting design features intended to maximize user engagement, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and rewards for consecutive daily use. ...

Current proposals do not establish strong penalties or fines for companies that fail to adequately verify users’ ages or protect children from harmful content.

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