■Finally, Moving from Internet Safety to Internet Creativity
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is shifting its ICT literacy policy from focusing primarily on safety measures like filtering to also encompass creativity and social interaction. They are currently preparing for a new conference. As the vice chairman of the Safe Internet Creation Promotion Council, I have also begun to partake in these discussions.
It has taken 13 years from the establishment of the Safe Net Council for the government's efforts to pivot from a negative to a positive approach. "At last," is the feeling I get. Back in 1995, at the Information G7 Summit in Belgium, a Japanese proposal dubbed "the digital age is for children" was adopted, which led to the first Jr Summit in Tokyo and the second at MIT. This was the catalyst for me to leave my government position and join MIT, pushing forward initiatives like one laptop per child.
Progress in Japan has been slow; in 2008, the Prime Minister at the time declared "mobile phones have nothing but disadvantages for children," which promoted a trend of distancing children from digital technology. Alarmed by this, I gathered like-minded individuals who believed in the overwhelmingly positive aspects of digital technology, and together we established the Safe Net Council.
The inaugural meeting included notables such as Masayoshi Son and CEOs of the three major telecom carriers, all key players in Japan's digital landscape. The common goal was not to distance children from technology but to find ways to responsibly integrate it into their lives. Yet, the movement did not initially go in this intended direction.
Two years later, I founded DiTT and launched a campaign promoting digital textbooks, networking schools, and one laptop per child as a positive movement. It was challenging; it took eight years for the legislation allowing digital textbooks to be passed and programming to become a mandatory part of the curriculum. The one laptop per child initiative was realized through the GIGA scheme. Without the pandemic, it might have taken another 25 years.
While I had hoped that the promotion of digital education and the Safe Net initiative would proceed hand-in-hand, I was unable to merge these efforts due to insufficient support. Now that every child has access to digital learning environments, the tide has finally turned, and it feels like we have reached a significant milestone. However, the challenges continue. The next big question is how to establish digital citizenship.
As digitization in schools advances, there will undoubtedly be disruptions and issues, but I trust in the capabilities of the sites and the students and wish to continue monitoring them. The focus of policy will shift towards the home, particularly addressing disparities. The challenge will move from being solely about education to encompassing communication issues—a shift from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
While safeguarding literacy regarding security and misinformation remains crucial, it is even more important to foster creativity and communication skills. Adults are not yet proficient; in some areas, children may surpass them. It's crucial that both children and adults use and learn from digital tools together. As technology evolves, so too must our approaches to education. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all method, especially as the platforms and tools continually change.
Ultimately, the aim of these policies should be to enhance the "user power" of the populace. Digital tools should be primarily useful, enjoyable, and safe—in that order. Up until now, there has been an excessive focus on safety, neglecting the importance of making digital experiences more beneficial and enjoyable. It's time to strengthen strategies that enhance creativity and empathy.
