On July 31, 2026, Japan's Children and Families Agency published an interim report on the review of the country's youth internet safety law. The current law was originally enacted in 2008, while the digital environment surrounding children has changed dramatically since then.

    Social media and online services are now part of children's everyday lives, and new challenges have emerged, including prolonged internet use, social media-related problems, and generative AI. The interim report identifies three main directions for reform: reviewing the objectives of the law, ensuring appropriate protective measures, and strengthening governance.

    The report also calls for greater responsibility from online platforms, including risk assessment, protective measures for children, and age assurance. No decision has yet been made on introducing a blanket social media age restriction.

Comment from GAME-F

The issue is not that children have changed. The digital environment surrounding them has.

The internet of 2008 is very different from today's environment. Smartphones are always within reach, social media has become part of children's relationships, games connect users continuously online, and generative AI is beginning to enter everyday life.

    It is therefore increasingly difficult to address digital problems simply by telling children to limit their use or asking families to set stricter rules.

The next step is to consider how digital environments themselves should be designed so that children can use them more safely.

    GAME-F believes that the goal should not be to keep children away from the digital world, but to design a digital world that is safer for children who inevitably use it.

References

Children and Families Agency, Japan. Interim Report of the Working Group on the Youth Internet Environment Development Act. July 31, 2026.
Children and Families Agency

Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. Press Conference by Minister Kikawada. July 31, 2026.
Cabinet Office, Government of Japan