AFP — May 27 — A Japanese government panel called on parents and schools to help limit the use of mobile phones by children to prevent them from accessing "harmful" information on websites. While about a third of Japanese primary school students aged 7-12 use mobiles, by the time they get to high school that figure rises to 96%, according to a government survey last December. The advisory council on education made the proposal to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda as children become more prone to crimes involving dating websites and bullying on Internet school bulletin boards.
The full article was originally published at AFP, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: I attended and spoke at the Asian social networking and internet dating conference in Tokyo earlier this month. 'Internet dating' seems like a dirty word in Japan, alas. The internet dating industry has developed a reputation for illicit encounters, under-age connections, and casual dating in Japan.