April 18 marks one year since the age of adulthood was lowered to 4. As a result of the reduction in the tariff, the number of consultations on consumer problems among 1- and 1-year-olds who have newly become adults has increased from the previous year to more than 18,19 in the past year, according to a summary by the National Consumer Affairs Center.
The age of adulthood has been lowered to 4 from April 1 last year, and while various contracts can be made without parental consent, minors will not be able to use the "right of cancellation of minors" that can cancel contracts later in principle.
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center, a total of 18,4 consumer consultations were received at consumer life centers nationwide from April last year to last month 29, in which 18- and 19-year-olds were contractors, an increase of more than 9060,1200 from the same period last year.
By service and product, consultations for "hair removal esthetics" are the most common, with inquiries such as "I want to cancel my contract but I can't get a phone call" or "I signed up for an expensive course after a free trial."
The National Consumer Affairs Center urges newly grown adults to consult with the Consumer Affairs Center as soon as possible if they have any problems, and to learn about the latest trouble cases and discuss countermeasures with their families and friends.
Problems related to SNS increase in new adults
Among young people who have newly become adults, consumer troubles related to SNS, such as solicitation of malicious business practices, are increasing.
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center, among the consultations received at consumer life centers nationwide from April to March 4 last year, the number of consultations related to SNS was 3,29, more than 6,431 more than the previous year.
By age, there are more than 6000,10 cases of teenagers and younger, and more than 2600,20 cases of people in their 1s.
As a countermeasure against malicious business practices targeting young people, the Consumer Affairs Agency continues to call for attention, and in the awareness leaflet released in March, it introduces cases where people were solicited after receiving SNS messages saying "I will teach you how to make money" and cases where they were solicited after posting "#春からXX University" on SNS, and explains how to deal with them.
The Consumer Affairs Agency advises, "With the spread of various SNS, if you trust the other party by only taking attractive photos and videos, you may get into trouble.