June 4, 2026
TOKYO – The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry should consider requiring social media operators and others to strengthen age verification procedures for users, a ministry panel suggested in a proposal compiled Tuesday.
The panel discussed measures to protect children from abuse on social media but deemed a blanket age restriction — such as those implemented in Australia and other countries — to be “undesirable,” making it highly likely that such a measure will not be included in future legislative revisions.
The proposal was generally approved at the Tuesday meeting, and the ministry will collaborate with the Children and Families Agency to decide this year on amendments to the Law on Establishment of Enhanced Environment for Youth’s Safe and Secure Internet Use, which protects children from harmful content online.
Major social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, do not allow users under 12 or 13 years old. However, in many cases, they can sign up just by inputting a birth date, and it is believed that a significant number of children use these services after falsifying their age.
The proposal states that stricter age verification should be considered, but it does not go into specific methods or mandatory requirements. It simply states that “practical methods using feasible technologies should be considered, taking privacy and security into account.”
It also explicitly states the ministry should require social media operators to assess the risks of their services, implement measures such as functional restrictions, and disclose such information.
The panel took a cautious stance on blanket age restrictions, deeming them “undesirable,” given that social media serves as a means for children to interact and express themselves, and that the nature of each service varies.