The Children and Families Agency issued guidance on Tuesday on how parents and other adults should involve themselves in children's internet use, setting benchmarks by age and stage of development rather than rules.
The guidance was presented at a meeting of an expert panel the same day. The panel also discussed whether children's internet use should be restricted by age.
The draft divides children from 0 to 18 into infancy, childhood and adolescence, then sets out six stages. For each, it lists the risks to watch for and how adults around the child should act.
What the guidance says
For children aged 0 to 2, it says adults should prepare the environment and take part when a child uses a device. Long viewing sessions should be avoided. Screen time should not replace direct experience, such as interacting with people or play.
For ages 13 to 15, it describes a period when contact outside the family through social media and self-expression become active. The digital environment then strongly affects friendships and self-image, it says.
Parents should cut back direct control in stages at that age, with advice and consultation becoming the main form of involvement, according to the guidance.
Age limits debated
Panel members raised whether the age at which children use the internet should be regulated. One member questioned whether something so dangerous should be given to children at all, if social media can trigger a child's suicide.
“Considering the best interests of the child, it is desirable to have an environment usable even at a young age. It would be good to have a system in which operators decide the age of use after taking scientific evidence into account, and a third party reviews it.”a panel member, expert panel member
The agency will decide its direction based on the panel's discussions. It intends to submit a related revision bill to the ordinary Diet session in 2027.