Tag - teens

 
 

TEENS

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center) meets with advocates for the country's social media ban for children under 16 at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Australia gives regulator more power to pursue Big Tech over under-16 social media ban
The move ​comes as evidence suggests children are still able to access the platforms six months ‌after the ‌world-first restrictions took effect in December.
Siranudh "Psi" Scott, a fourth-generation member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the Singha beer brand, in Bangkok on May 24
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2026
Thai beer dynasty feud casts spotlight on ‘ungrateful child’ law
The law enables parents to revoke gifts if their offspring are deemed ungrateful, physically abusive, neglectful in old age or responsible for serious reputational harm.
A former college student was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with a case in which a 20-year-old man was beaten to death by six people at a park Hokkaido in 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2026
Three youths jailed over fatal assault of college student in Hokkaido
The case involved a 20-year-old student being beaten to death by six people in a park in 2024.
There is little evidence to suggest teenagers have turned away from social media under the law, a team of Australia-based researchers has found in a peer-reviewed study published by the British Medical Journal.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 25, 2026
Australia’s social media ban for under 16s having little impact, study shows
Underage users have been dodging the restrictions by using accounts registered to older people, setting up fake accounts, or by logging into private browsers.
Flowers laid near Kamui bridge, the scene of a 17-year-old high school girl's death, in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, June 2024
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2026
Woman sentenced to 27 years over death of high school girl
Prosecutors had sought 27 years, arguing the “extremely cruel and malicious” crime the woman had been the ringleader of had “trampled on the victim’s dignity.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced one of the strictest online crackdowns against social media use by children in the democratic world on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
British prime minister announces full ban on social media for children under 16
The Labour government says its new range of child internet-use restrictions will be tougher than Australia’s limits.
The members of TV Tairiku Ondo — (from left) Harea Togari, Ryuji Chiyotani, Kotaro Suzuki and Hiroto Yanagawa — met as high school students in Sapporo and went viral in 2024 with an energetic 90-second track.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 12, 2026
TV Tairiku Ondo channels the chaotic creativity of youth
After going viral with a 90-second track in 2024, the rock quartet from Hokkaido has been hitting stages big and small and working hard on a debut album.
Japan’s real challenge in the age of artificial intelligence is not technological progress but rebuilding the trust and human connections that help young people feel heard, supported and safe.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2026
Japan’s real AI problem is not technology. It is trust.
People who feel they matter are more likely to seek help when they need it because they trust that someone will listen. People who feel invisible often remain silent.
A group of high school students arrested over allegedly trying to extort money from a boy in western Tokyo may have used ChatGPT to decide how much to demand, police said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2026
Teenagers in Tokyo allegedly used ChatGPT to decide extortion amount in assault case
Five teenagers were arrested in January over the alleged assault and attempted extortion of ¥150,000 from a high school student in the city of Hachioji.
Several countries have been considering ​tightening rules around AI use as well as social media use for children.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Canada moves to ban social media for children under 16 and regulate AI chatbots
Companies could face penalties of 3% ​of global revenue or up to C$10 million ($7.2 million), whichever is more, for failing to comply.
Nara police have arrested a self-proclaimed "messenger of God" and six others over the confinement of a company executive's teenage son at a relative's house in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 10, 2026
‘Messenger of God’ and six others arrested over teen’s confinement
The seven people, including a company executive, allegedly confined the executive’s teenage son to a relative’s house in Yokohama between May 6 and 8.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of National Health Service trusts, at No. 10 Downing St. in London on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 10, 2026
U.K.’s Starmer to announce social media ban for under-16s in days
Two broad options are being considered: a “blanket” ban on under-16s using social media, or age restrictions on key features of social networks and apps.
A court ruling will be handed down on June 22 for a woman suspected of killing a 17-year-old girl in Hokkaido in 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 9, 2026
Prosecutors seek 27-year sentence for suspect in murder of Hokkaido girl
Public prosecutors have alleged that Riko Uchida and others “applied some physical force” to the high school girl, who was embroiled in a dispute over social media photos.
Local governments are being asked to create a council that would help promote early intervention regarding youths at risk of suicide.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Agency asks local authorities to set up youth suicide prevention councils
The aim is to quickly identify youths who are at risk of dying by suicide by obtaining information from schools and medical institutions, and promoting early intervention.
Japan is looking into ways to protect children from the features of social media platforms that can cause addiction.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 3, 2026
Japan weighs stricter age verification for social media users
The government is not considering a blanket age restriction like Australia’s, however.
In 2025, people in their 20s and younger accounted for more than 70% of all cannabis-related police action.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 3, 2026
Cannabis use grows among young people in Japan, especially in Tokyo
Tokyo recorded the highest number of cannabis-related cases among all prefectures in 2025, with 1,139 people processed by the MPD.
Siranudh "Psi" Scott, a fourth-generation member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the Singha beer brand, poses after an interview in Bangkok on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2026
Thai beer heir sexual abuse allegations ignite rare public reckoning
The high-profile case within the wealthy Thai beer brewing family has prompted a wave of painful accounts from survivors of unconnected abuse in the conservative country.
Tochigi police have issued an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s in a robbery-murder case, saying he is believed to have instructed a married couple to carry out the attack.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2026
Police issue arrest warrant for potential mastermind in Tochigi murder case
The man fled to China after the incident in which a 69-year-old woman was killed at her home during a break-in.
With the proliferation of smartphones and growth of an internet-savvy generation, the application pool for dodgy jobs posted on social media or apps like Timee — which matches companies with job-seekers for one-off jobs — began to skew younger.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 26, 2026
Why youths have become central to tokuryū crimes
The easy recruitment of younger people online has driven a shift from fraud to robbery, sometimes leading to murder.
A teenager (center, wearing sandals) arrested for his involvement in a murder-robbery case is sent to prosecutors on May 16 in the city of Shimotsuke, in Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 22, 2026
Tochigi murder-robbery case reflects ‘tokuryū’ adapting to crackdowns
In typical schemes, hired perpetrators are strangers to one another, but due to crackdowns on online recruitment, many are turning to word of mouth and familiarity.

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