An annual survey in Japan shows that more young children are using the internet and spending more time on it than before.
The Children and Families Agency has surveyed children up to the age of nine on their internet use.
In fiscal 2024, it surveyed about 3,000 parents of children in that age bracket and 1,964 of them responded.
Among their children, 78.5 percent use the internet, including watching videos and playing games. The figure follows the yearly rising trend and is up more than 21 percentage points from 56.9 percent recorded in 2018.
By age, 10.1 percent of 69 babies under the age of one use the internet. Among 126 one-year-olds, 42.9 percent of them use it, and among 133 two-year-olds, 56.4 percent. The percentage increases as the age gets higher. It exceeds 90 percent for children aged eight and nine.
The time spent on the internet also increased from fiscal 2021 when comparable data are available. The number of children who spend more than two hours per weekday rose more than 7 points to 50.8 percent. The average time was two hours and nine minutes per weekday, recording an increase of 19 minutes.
Professor Takeuchi Kazuo of University of Hyogo is one of the experts who analyzed the survey results.
He noted that more young children now use the internet for a longer time, as the internet environment has become more familiar.
He said smartphones and other internet devices can be helpful for parents in rearing children, but using them for a long time could lead to disorderly lifestyles and addiction. He said the connection of the time spent on the internet and possible negative effects on little children is not clear yet. He added that surveys are necessary to think about children’s healthy internet use.