January 30, 2023 2023 Spring Safety Net Campaign for the New Semester

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will implement this year's Spring Safety Net Campaign for the New Semester from February through May to create an environment where young people can use the Internet securely and safely.

1. Purpose

With the use of smartphones and other internet access devices spreading rapidly among young people in recent years, many young people have been using social media, such as social networking services (SNS).
On the other hand, serious problems are also emerging, including disruption of lifestyles due to prolonged use of such devices, accidental infringement of other people's privacy due to inappropriate use, and incidents in which incitement via social media leads to young people becoming the victims of crime or committing crimes themselves.
As such, it is vital to ensure that young people, as the adults of tomorrow, to understand appropriate ways of addressing such risks, and to create an environment where smartphones can be used securely and safely.
Based on this awareness, MIC will seek to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime or other problems stemming from internet use, and enable them to use smartphones and social media safely and with peace of mind. Given that many young people acquire smartphones for the first time in spring after graduating, enrolling in a new school, or moving up a class, MIC will undertake an intensive campaign of awareness-raising activities focused on this period in particular, in cooperation with related government agencies, businesses, and organizations.

2. Initiatives in the 2023 Spring Safety Net Campaign for the New Semester

In collaboration with mobile phone carriers and other information and communications companies, along with various organizations, MIC will undertake an intensive campaign of initiatives, including awareness-raising activities that will contribute to promoting the use of parental control functions, effective filtering, and the creation of family rules based on discussion within the family, and also to improving children's ability to use the internet appropriately.

Examples of initiatives

• MIC will prepare and publish the 2023 edition of the Internet Trouble Casebook and ensure widespread awareness of the Casebook's existence among boards of education, etc.
• MIC will work with the Foundation for MultiMedia Communications and private business operators to hold awareness-raising programs on safe and secure internet use (e-Net-Caravan) and organize awareness-raising courses delivered by mobile phone carriers, among others.
• MIC and relevant ministries and agencies will request the cooperation of the Japan High School PTA Federation and the Japan PTA National Council in enhancing awareness among parents and guardians.
• MIC's Regional Bureaus of Telecommunications will work with PTAs and boards of education to hold briefings on filtering and undertake other awareness-raising activities relating to the safe and secure use of the Internet in each region.
• MIC will encourage mobile phone carriers and their sales agents to provide careful explanations to encourage use of filtering by preparing explanatory tools and distributing them in stores, and will also screen awareness-raising videos in mobile phone stores nationwide.
• MIC will undertake awareness-raising activities relating to safe, secure internet use that employ informational media created by the Japan Internet Safety Promotion Association.
• MIC will work with the Foundation for MultiMedia Communications, the Telecommunications Carriers Association, and the Japan Internet Safety Promotion Association, among others, to ensure widespread awareness based on the fact that the age of majority has been lowered to 18 under the amended Civil Code that entered into force in April 2022.

3. Other

In addition to the initiatives listed above, the Spring Safety Net Campaign for the New Semester will include other initiatives by related parties as needed. Specific details of the initiative will be posted on related websites, including those of the Japan Internet Safety Promotion Association and MIC's Regional Bureaus of Telecommunications.