Legal Japan contemplates tighter age checks and youth filters for social media

Japan is considering requiring social media companies to switch on age-based content filtering by default, part of a push to tackle addiction among minors. A system to assess the risks posed by each platform is also being considered. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to urge social media providers to enable age-based filtering for users from the outset. However, the age ranges covered have not yet been decided.


At present, such features often exist but are turned off by default when apps are downloaded. That is one thing the government appears to want changed. The ministry is also looking further ahead. It envisages age verification being done in cooperation with wireless carriers, which already require identity checks when customers buy devices, and possibly with operating system developers as well.

Current Japanese law only requires social media companies to make efforts to ensure minors use the internet appropriately, and what companies do in practice varies widely. Some measures are stronger, some not. It is also not illegal for parents or guardians to disable filtering on devices, something that has led to doubts about how effective the current approach really is.

Social media addiction among minors is a global concern. Australia last year banned social media use by children under 16. Similar measures are being proposed in France and other European countries, and the European Commission is making protecting children on social media a priority in digital policy. In the U.S., a California district court in March ordered Meta and Google to pay a total of $6 million after finding that their platforms had been deliberately designed to be addictive. The landmark decision is seen by some observers as a potential step toward tighter regulation.

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