New cell phone rules eyed to protect kids

The Yomiuri Shimbun
November 25, 2007
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071125TDY01301.htm

The government's Education Rebuilding Council has drafted proposed measures to protect minors from using cell phones to access harmful information on the Internet, such as solicitations from dating service Web sites.

A pillar of the measures would be to oblige parents to assure that cell phones used by primary and middle schoolers are equipped with filtering functions that prevent access to harmful Web sites.

The council, chaired by Ryoji Noyori, judged that strengthened regulations on dating service Web sites--which are accused of drawing underage girls into prostitution and other crimes involving minors--are needed.

The draft proposal states that parents should make sure cell phones used by their children are equipped with the filtering functions.

Though cell phone filtering services are free, only about 30 percent of primary to high school students used the function in their cell phones as of the end of September, according to the Telecommunications Carriers Association.

The draft proposal also recommends parents limit the available functions of children's cell phones to three--calling, e-mailing, and the global positioning system, which can be used to confirm the child's location.

The draft proposal urged schools to make efforts to discourage students from excessive cell phone use.

It also declares it is necessary for schools to establish rules on cell phone use inside schools, such as prohibiting use during class hours and ask parents not to buy children cell phones as far as is practicable.

The council will present the draft proposal at its subpanel meeting Tuesday and plans to include the proposal in its third report to be released later this year.

In December, the Democratic Party of Japan submitted a bill that would oblige cell phone service providers to explain the filtering functions when they draw up cell phone contracts for people aged under 18.

The bill was sponsored by lawmakers and submitted to the Diet for the purpose of revising the Telecommunications Business Law.

According to a Cabinet Office survey on an information-oriented society and youths' awareness released in July, 96 percent of high schoolers, 57.6 percent of middle schoolers and 31.3 percent of primary schoolers used cell phones or personal handy-phone system (PHS) handsets.

Of them, 99 percent of the high schoolers, 97 percent of the middle schoolers and 86 percent of the primary schoolers accessed the Internet via their cell phones or PHS.

According to the National Police Agency, police across the nation cracked down on 1,915 cases involving dating service Web sites in 2006.

Of 1,387 victims in the cases in which child prostitution, child pornography, confinement and violence were discovered, 1,153, or more than 80 percent, were aged under 18.

Of the victims under 18, 1,114, or 96.6 percent, had accessed dating service Web sites via cell phone.

(Nov. 25, 2007)