Japan Ministry Seeks Talks on Social Media Age Restrictions

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)--Japan's internal affairs ministry has asked a panel of experts to discuss whether the country should introduce age restrictions for social media use.

In its draft proposals presented at a meeting Wednesday, the ministry also included a plan to ask social media service providers to assess the addiction risks associated with their services and disclose ways to implement functional restrictions aimed at preventing addiction.

Meanwhile, the ministry expressed caution regarding the introduction of uniform age restrictions on social media use, similar to those implemented in Australia.

Social media has become a means of communication for young people, and the risks for each service are different, the ministry said.

At the meeting, a participant said that service providers should be obliged to verify users' ages.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]