Iga City On August 19th (Monday), we introduced the “SOS Filter”, which supports the “life” of children and students using one device per person, and was the third in Japan and the first in Mie Prefecture.

[Iga City] On August 19th (Monday), we introduced the “SOS Filter”, which supports the “life” of children and students using one device per person, and was the third in Japan and the first in Mie
Prefecture.
*Iga City*
Press release: September 2, 2024
**
On August 19th (Monday), we introduced the “SOS Filter”, which supports the “life” of children and students using one device per person, and was the third in the country and the first in Mie Prefecture.
“SOS Filter” was developed by the NPO OVA, and is compatible with Microsoft Edge and Google.
When you search for words and phrases related to serious worries (4,796 registered words), such as suicide-related terms such as “I want to die” and “Riskah”, in Chrome, a pop-up will pop up with information such as consultation counters that match your worries and summaries of self-care methods. This will help connect students who are having problems with appropriate support, and help students become aware of changes in their physical and mental health and carry out self-care.
Pop-up display example (search for “I want to die”)
Pop-up display example (search for “I can’t sleep”)
According to suicide statistics from the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 513 children committed suicide in 2020, the second highest number on record, and the situation is extremely worrying.
Annual trends in the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students
Regarding suicide prevention measures for children and students, the “Comprehensive Suicide Countermeasures Outline” approved by the Cabinet on October 14, 2022 (Reiwa 4) states that “suicide by using PCs and tablet terminals distributed under the GIGA School Initiative, etc. Promote early detection and monitoring efforts at elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, etc., such as
understanding risks and disseminating push-based support
information.” In particular, it is said that suicides among people under the age of 18 tend to increase after long school holidays, so we believe that it is necessary for Iga City to take action as soon as possible. An “SOS filter” was introduced for children and students on Monday, August 19th.
“SOS Filter” is a service that does not collect information that can identify individuals searched for, and does not send notifications to schools or administrators.This allows children and students to use the service with peace of mind, and to respond to requests for assistance and This will help improve your self-care skills.
According to the aforementioned suicide statistics from the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, it has been found that approximately 60% of school problems are due to poor academic performance or worries about entrance exams or career options as a cause or motive for student suicide. In conjunction with the introduction of this “SOS filter,” we will work together with parents, local residents, and related organizations to enhance career guidance and carefully monitor activities at each school, which we have been working on so far. We will continue to work towards suicide
prevention.
Purpose, target, and effects of introduction
Examples of registered words for “SOS filter”
【inquiry】
Iga City Board of Education School Education Division
Phone number: 0595-22-9649
NPO OVA homepage URL: https://sos-filter.ova-japan.org/