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A government panel in Japan on Tuesday called for strengthening the responsibilities of social media operators by requiring them to have stricter age verification and restricting some features, in a list of proposed measures to protect underage social media users, Kyodo News reported.
According to Kyodo News, the panel of the communications ministry noted that a blanket age-based ban, such as those seen in other countries, may not be appropriate, as social media serves as an important communication tool. The draft report highlighted that measures aimed at reducing youth's dependency on such services so as to safeguard their physical and mental health. The development comes amid widespread adoption of smartphones and social media--which has raised concerns over their harmful effects, including the involvement of minors in criminal activities. As per Kyodo News, this comes as the existing measures in place have mostly been limited to filtering services by mobile carriers to block access to harmful websites, and parental monitoring at home. Since last year, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has been discussing expanding the role of social media platforms and providers of smartphone operating systems in protecting young users. Kyodo News reported that the country's Children and Families Agency will determine specific measures and whether legal revisions are necessary when the final report, expected by summer, is submitted. Japan joins the list of countries which in recent times have proposed and several of them enacted laws concerning the usage of social media among minors. While France has been aiming to fast-track the legal process ensuring a ban on social media use for children under the age of 15, Australia already implanted a blanket-ban on social media for children under 16 years of age, last year. Other countries include Spain and Denmark who are mulling over the decision. (ANI)
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