Summer vacation in full swing: What should parents do about children's internet troubles?

1. The Relationship Between Summer Vacation and Internet Troubles

• With schools closed and more time spent at home, the usage time of smartphones, tablets, and PCs significantly increases

• Time spent connecting online becomes longer than meeting friends in person

• Due to the summer vacation-specific "staying up late habit," more children become engrossed in social media and online games late at night

• When parents are both working and absent during the day, supervision at home becomes lax

2. Types of Internet Risks Surrounding Children

• Social Media Troubles: Contact with strangers, slander, flaming, personal information leaks

• Game Payment Issues: Unauthorized payments, gacha addiction, financial troubles between parents and children

• Dating and Inappropriate Sites: Dangerous contact due to age falsification, viewing illegal content

• Cyberbullying: Bullying that continues outside of school expands online

• Health Hazards: Lack of sleep, vision deterioration, and lack of exercise due to prolonged use

3. Typical Cases That Increase During Summer Vacation

• Cases where elementary school students interact with strangers on YouTube or TikTok and almost have their addresses identified

• Cases where middle school students repeatedly make in-game purchases, resulting in bills of tens of thousands of yen

• Isolation within a group triggered by posts on social media like "I haven't done my homework" or "I skipped club activities"

• Cases where posting photos of summer festivals or events leads to location identification through geotags

4. Children's Psychology and Background

• The peer pressure of "wanting to do the same as friends"

• Desire for approval online: "Likes" and comments contribute to self-evaluation

• Tendency to fill the loneliness from lack of family conversation with social media

• Summer vacation "killing time" that promotes dependency

5. Basic Responses Parents Can Take

• Rule Making: Clarifying "usage time, apps that can be used, prohibition of payments," etc.

• Filtering Settings: Implementing age-appropriate restriction features

• Payment Measures: Managing fingerprint authentication or passcodes by parents only

• Utilizing Monitoring Apps: Using features that allow understanding of usage time and search history

• Parent-Child Conversations: Explaining "why it's dangerous" instead of just prohibiting

6. Case-Specific Countermeasures

1. Social Media Troubles

   • Encourage the habit of always checking the "sharing range" before posting

   • If trouble occurs, keep screenshots and consult a third party
     
     

2. Payment Issues

   • Introduce a subscription-based game pass to create an environment where "no more can be spent"

   • Check payment history with the child to develop a sense of money
     
     

3. Cyberbullying

   • Ensure the child is not unknowingly involved in "ignoring messages" or "bad-mouthing groups"

   • Save evidence of bullying and consult the school or specialized agencies early
     
     

4. Health Hazards

   • Establish a "Digital Detox Day" with the family and increase outdoor or hobby activities

   • Strictly enforce usage restrictions before sleep

7. Responses Parents Should Avoid

• Unilateral prohibition or confiscation (leading to secret use)

• Ending trouble with just scolding (creating an environment where it's hard to consult)

• Excessively invading the child's privacy (risk of losing trust)

8. Consultation Services and Support Systems

• Ministry of Education's "Children's SOS Consultation Service"

• Police "Juvenile Consultation Service"

• Private Internet Trouble Consultation Services

• Filtering and Monitoring Services Provided by Smartphone Carriers

9. Promises Between Parents and Children After Summer Vacation

• Reconfirm "how to interact with the internet" for the new school term

• Create a "behavior manual" together on how to handle troubles

• Cultivate a habit for the whole family to review smartphone usage
  
  

Conclusion

Summer vacation is a season of freedom and growth for children, but lurking behind it are the risks of internet troubles. What is important is not "prohibition" but "understanding" and "monitoring." By appropriately supporting and sharing rules, parents can ensure that children enjoy the internet safely while deepening their learning. The attitude of thinking together as a family is the best way to prevent troubles in advance.

List of Reference Articles

• Cabinet Office: Survey on the Actual Use Environment of the Internet by Young People

• National Police Agency: Cybercrime Countermeasures

• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Internet Trouble Casebook

• Children and Internet Safety Association

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