世論 What Japan Thinks

japan.internet.com, in conjunction with JR Tokai Express Research, looked at the issue of mobile phones for children. At the start of June they interviewed 330 people, 92.4% male, between the ages of 30 and 50, employed by public or private enterprises, and having children. You will know from my previous reports on surveys that women are not well-represented in the workforce, especially after childbirth.

au in particular are heavily promoting their children’s mobile phone on television right now; the parent (mother, of course) gets a live update overlaid on a map of where the child, or to be more precise, the child’s mobile is. I personally believe that most of these GPS tracking features are playing on unnecessary fear. I’d love to see a survey asking purchasers of these phones if they also (a) belt up their kids in the car, (b) get them to wear a helmet on the bike, and don’t ride two (or even three) up on mother’s bike, and (c) don’t leave under-10s home alone, all of which are much more injury- or death-prone than stranger-danger.

First of all, of the 330 people interviewed, 158, or 47.9%, had children of primary or middle school age, 6 to 13 years old. Of that group, 18 parents, or 11.4%, owned こどもケータイ, kodomo keitai, children’s mobile phones.

Q1: What children’s mobile phone service do you use? (Sample size=18)

Kids Keitai (DoCoMo)	27.8%
Junior Keitai (au)	11.1%
Anshinda Phone (WILLCOM)	16.7%
Other	44.4%

Q2: Do you think features like anti-crime buzzer, buzzer-linked GPS mail, etc, are necessary? (Sample size=18)

Yes, definitely	44.4%
Yes, it would be better if a phone had them	55.6%
No, not needed	0.0%
Don’t know	0.0%

Q3: Do you think that infirm or aged people could also use these children’s mobile phones? (Sample size=158)

Yes, but not tried it	73.3%
Yes, family member currently using it	3.6%
No	5.2%
Don’t know	17.9%