Children’s Day: Let’s Take Some Time to Talk with Parents, Friends

Editorial

15:40 JST, May 5, 2026

Amid these days of chaotic global affairs, uncertainty over the future is growing. Children are also undoubtedly feeling anxious about what lies ahead. Because of these challenging times, they are encouraged to become individuals who can think for themselves and take action.

Today, May 5, is Children’s Day. Their healthy growth should be nurtured by families, communities and society as a whole.

However, a worrying trend has become apparent.

Citizen Watch Co. last year surveyed dual-income households with children in elementary school about how much time parents and children spent talking together and found that both fathers and mothers spent less time doing so than in 2012. For instance, the average time a mother spent talking with her child in the later grades of elementary school on weekdays was 1 hour and 29 minutes, which was down by 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, children in the later grades of elementary school spent a daily average of more than two hours on smartphones at home on weekdays. Regarding the decline in conversation, Citizen Watch said that “parents and children spend more time doing separate activities, even though they are in the same space, due to the growing use of smartphones.”

Conversations between parents and children help children develop a well-rounded character and various sensibilities. If that conversation time is being taken away by time spent staring at smartphone screens, some reconsideration may be necessary.

Conversations with friends are also lacking. Children are often seen together with friends at a park after school, sitting in a row playing online games without exchanging a word.

Another survey asked when they have fun, and more elementary school students cited “playing games” than “chatting with friends.”

It is said that more than half of elementary school students use the Line messaging app in the later grades. Many children may find it easier to send a text message via the Line app than to speak directly.

While interacting directly with friends can sometimes cause friction, it is essential for deepening mutual understanding and improving communication skills.

Parents and friends are one’s most immediate members of society. Conversations with such people should provide an opportunity for children to view themselves objectively and think about society.

Philosophy for children — which addresses simple questions such as “What is right?” — is gaining attention. It began in the United States in the 1970s as an approach to explore questions that have no single answer.

Recently, it has been adopted in moral education and integrated studies classes in Japanese elementary schools. A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization holds events, and some local governments also offer courses.

Some museums and art galleries offer free admission on Children’s Day. It might be a worthwhile experience for children to visit them with their parents or friends and ponder various things while enjoying a conversation.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 5, 2026)