Educating Japanese elementary students on proper smartphone use and social media risks: Reflecting on post-COVID-19 crime trends

Smartphone ownership and social media use are increasing worldwide, and children are not exempt from these trends. Past studies on this issue have mainly focused on educational campaigns to prevent the prolonged use of smartphones, social media, and video games. Recently, harm to children from engagement with bad actors through social media has become a major problem in Japan, and preventive measures need to be based on close analysis of the facts. The present study was performed descriptive epidemiology and comparison between two groups.

This study investigated the number of children in Japan who fell victim to criminal offense through their use of social media, categorized by level of schooling, type of offense, and means of accessing social media over the 8-year period from 2016 to 2023. The 8-year period was divided into 2016–2019 (4 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020–2023 (4 years during the pandemic). Statistical analysis was conducted to compare these periods.

The number of elementary school students victimized by criminal offense through social media in Japan increased significantly in 4 years during the pandemic. Furthermore, in 4 years during the pandemic, there was also a notable rise in felony-related incidents, and an increase in the number of victims accessing social media via smartphones.

Schools, parents/guardians, and personnel and organizations in relevant fields need to collaborate in addressing and educating students about the proper use of smartphones and the risks of social media starting at the elementary school age.