G7 Adopts Common Principles to Protect Minors over Internet Use

Paris, May 29 (Jiji Press)–The Group of Seven major industrialized countries agreed on common principles to protect underage internet users from harmful content, at a meeting of their digital and technology ministers held in Paris on Friday. The meeting, hosted by France, this year’s G7 chair, emphasized the importance of age verification to ensure safe access to age-appropriate content and of preventing the use of artificial intelligence to create and distribute nonconsensual sexual images. Noriko Horiuchi, state minister of communications, represented Japan at the meeting. At a closing press conference, French AI and digital affairs minister Anne Le Henanff said that the common principles will serve as a basis for imposing stricter requirements on social media platform operators and urging them to revise their services. The G7, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union, supports the seven common principles “to safeguard minors’ physical, mental and cognitive well-being and development,” the ministers said in a joint statement adopted at the meeting. These principles include age verification, measures against harmful content, enhancement of parental control functions, promotion of digital literacy education for minors, and the need for cooperation and dialogue among governments, businesses and parents. The issue of deepfakes, including AI-generated sexual images, has emerged as a major global concern. Under the circumstances, moves to introduce age restrictions are gaining momentum in various regions, including Europe, following Australia’s ban introduced last year on social media use by those under 16. The G7 ministers also agreed to promote safe AI and support small companies’ adoption of AI technologies. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]