SNS年齢ねんれい制限せいげんの議論ぎろんをめぐるユニセフの警鐘けいしょう――子こどもの権利けんりとデジタル環境かんきょうの在あり方かた

In recent years, many countries have been strengthening age restrictions and regulations on childrens use of social media.

The purpose of these measures is to protect children from harmful information and crime, but UNICEF also warns that strengthening regulations could have a serious impact on childrens rights and well-being.

According to UNICEF, social media can serve as a very important lifeline for children who feel isolated or alienated, helping them learn, interact, play, and express themselves.

Therefore, simple prohibition measures may push children into more dangerous environments.

If regulations become stricter, children may look for platforms with looser controls or share devices to circumvent the rules, which could increase the risks.

UNICEF also emphasized the provision that platform operators are not exempt from responsibility for improving safety measures and content management censorship.

The important thing is to review the design and delivery of social network services and to build a safe digital environment that respects childrens rights. This is the responsibility of both companies and governments.

In response to this situation, UNICEF suggests that governments, regulatory authorities, and companies in each country work together with children and their families to aim for the creation of a comprehensive, safe, and child rights–guaranteed digital environment. Specifically, the following points are raised: ● Laws and regulations regarding age restrictions should not replace companies’ responsibilities to invest in safer platform design and effective content management.

The government needs to require companies to identify and address any negative impacts on childrens rights themselves.

● SNS and technology companies need to prioritize childrens safety and well-being, and reconsider the design of their products and services.

Investment in safe design, content management, development of age verification tools that respect childrens rights, provision of safe environments suitable for each stage of development, and the need to offer different experiences according to age.

These measures must also be applied to vulnerable countries and conflict areas where protective measures are still insufficient.

- Administrative bodies are responsible for taking systematic measures to prevent and effectively mitigate potential harms that children may face on the internet.

● Civil society and related organizations need to actively communicate the actual experiences and opinions of children, youth, parents, and caregivers in discussions about age restrictions for SNS use.

When deciding on the best protection measures in the digital age, it is necessary to make judgments based on high-quality evidence and also include the opinions of the children themselves.

Improving the digital skills of parents and caregivers is also one of the important support tasks.

Even if they are tasked with the nearly impossible role of monitoring platforms, managing hidden algorithms, and overseeing multiple applications around the clock, they still play a vital role in protecting children.

In this way, simple management measures can not only undermine childrens rights and well-being, but also encourage irresponsible corporate operations.

Recognizing that simply prohibiting something will not solve the problem is what is required now.