December 26, 2024
The New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) has recently made representations to the Children and Families Agency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Education to demand that adequate regulations be imposed on social media in order to prevent the unintended display of obscene advertisements.
Sakuma Chie, a Shinfujin representative, said, “When searching for, for example, a game cheat site, we often see pornographic ads that suddenly appear on PC monitors and smartphone screens. Some of them are with images and videos of sexual violence in which women are humiliated. To be shown things to children as well as adults who do not want to see such ads is a violation of human rights.”
In response to the Shinfujin demand, the government said it will set up a working group to clarify and discuss points at issue.
A contributing factor to children’s online victimization is the “attention economy”, a huge market for multinational IT companies, including GAFA. This is an economic system in which it is okay to attract attention and make a profit even if the quality of information is poor.
In addition to indecent ads, the negative effects of social media use, including addiction, cyberbullying, suicide, dark part-time jobs, and brainwashing, are also plaguing children. Some children fall into echo chambers on social media and begin to believe that Japan won the Pacific War, that the Holocaust was a fake, and that history textbooks are wrong.
Australia recently decided to prohibit children aged 16 and under from using social media. The EU’s Digital Services Act places a ban on targeted advertising of children and teens based on their personal data. France in 2023 made a law under which social media companies cannot access users under 15 without parental consent.
After the representations, Shinfujin members commented, “The ministries and the agency were pushing responsibility upon others. They said that the Consumer Affairs Agency is in charge of advertising, and the Cabinet Office handles children’s and women’s rights.” The Shinfujin members said they will not give up on their efforts to protect children from the harmful effects of the Internet.
Past related article:
> Poverty lies behind new type of crimes committed by youth through social media [December 17, 2024]
Sakuma Chie, a Shinfujin representative, said, “When searching for, for example, a game cheat site, we often see pornographic ads that suddenly appear on PC monitors and smartphone screens. Some of them are with images and videos of sexual violence in which women are humiliated. To be shown things to children as well as adults who do not want to see such ads is a violation of human rights.”
In response to the Shinfujin demand, the government said it will set up a working group to clarify and discuss points at issue.
A contributing factor to children’s online victimization is the “attention economy”, a huge market for multinational IT companies, including GAFA. This is an economic system in which it is okay to attract attention and make a profit even if the quality of information is poor.
In addition to indecent ads, the negative effects of social media use, including addiction, cyberbullying, suicide, dark part-time jobs, and brainwashing, are also plaguing children. Some children fall into echo chambers on social media and begin to believe that Japan won the Pacific War, that the Holocaust was a fake, and that history textbooks are wrong.
Australia recently decided to prohibit children aged 16 and under from using social media. The EU’s Digital Services Act places a ban on targeted advertising of children and teens based on their personal data. France in 2023 made a law under which social media companies cannot access users under 15 without parental consent.
After the representations, Shinfujin members commented, “The ministries and the agency were pushing responsibility upon others. They said that the Consumer Affairs Agency is in charge of advertising, and the Cabinet Office handles children’s and women’s rights.” The Shinfujin members said they will not give up on their efforts to protect children from the harmful effects of the Internet.
Past related article:
> Poverty lies behind new type of crimes committed by youth through social media [December 17, 2024]
