| ■ Japanese Parents Warned About Children's Cell Phone Use | 2008.06.02 |
| A new government program will urge Japanese parents and schools to limit children's use of Internet-linking cell phones. The government is worried about a number of problems, including the large amount of time students are spending exchanging mobile e-mails and the risk that they'll become involved in Internet-related crime, the Associated Press reported. "Japanese parents are giving cell phones to their children without giving it enough thought," said Masaharu Kuba, a government official overseeing the initiative. "In Japan, cell phones have become an expensive toy." The warning to parents and schools is one recommendation made by an education reform panel. The panel also wants Japanese companies to develop cell phones with only the talking function and GPS (global positioning system), which can help ensure a child's safety, the AP reported. The panel also wants better filtering programming for mobile phones with Internet access. |