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The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on September 19 that the ordinance in Ishikawa Prefecture, which regulates the possession of mobile phones by children, may be revised and the regulation may be abolished. Under the current ordinance, guardians are obliged to make efforts to prevent elementary and junior high school students from having mobile phones and other devices.
Mobile phone possession control ordinance revised
In 2009, Ishikawa Prefecture revised the Ishikawa Children’s Comprehensive Ordinance to include a clause regulating children’s possession of mobile phones, which became a hot topic.
Parents are obliged to make efforts not to allow elementary and junior high school students to carry mobile phones, except for the purpose of disaster prevention or crime prevention, and the content has attracted attention as an intrusion into individual freedom.
The current provisions (Article 33-2, Paragraph 3) are as follows. Note that this is an ordinance of Ishikawa Prefecture, so it does not apply to other prefectures.
Parents and guardians, especially for those who are enrolled in elementary school, junior high school, compulsory education school, secondary school (limited to first term) and special support school (limited to elementary school and junior high school), should provide disaster prevention, crime prevention and other special support. We shall try not to have mobile phone terminals, etc., except for the purpose of doing so.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the draft revision to the ordinance created this time abolishes possession control clauses and encourages the creation of rules through consultation between parents and children regarding the use of mobile phones.
In August 2022, in a lawsuit over Kagawa Prefecture’s Internet Game Ordinance, which stipulated guidelines for how long children can use smartphones and play games, the ordinance was ruled constitutional and became a hot topic.
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Ishikawa Prefecture (PDF)
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Source: iPhone Mania