On July 8, 2026, the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE; Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mickey Mikitani) submitted comments in response to the Public Consultation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) on the ” Draft First Report of the Youth Protection Working Group under the Study Group on Addressing Various Issues in Information Distribution in Digital Space.”

[Summary of Comments]

• When discussing and examining youth protection measures for platform (PF) services, it is essential to recognize that PF services exist in a wide variety of forms and categories. The types and categories of PF services subject to such measures, as well as the nature of the associated risks, should be clearly identified. Rather than imposing a blanket “age restriction,” measures should be limited to the minimum necessary, proportionate to the level of risk involved.
• Any tightening of “age verification” requirements should be approached with caution. As this is an issue that could significantly restrict sound business activities and ultimately cause inconvenience to a large number of users, conclusions should not be drawn hastily.
• When young people use the internet, consideration should be given to using AI to establish a framework in which AI agents provide advice and warnings on internet use, rather than relying solely on filtering.
• As the literacy required to address risks arising from social media use and other online activities becomes increasingly diverse, literacy education is becoming more important.　Schools and families should strengthen literacy education, while national and local governments should enhance their support for such efforts. Furthermore, AI should be leveraged to the fullest extent possible in literacy education to help address the diverse and evolving risks faced by users.

※For the full text of the submitted comments, please click here to view. (in Japanese only.)
※For further information on this Public Consultation, please click here to view. (in Japanese only.)