Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft working together to make Japan a safer place to game

Things like parental controls or filters are often an annoyance for those of us who want to get on Imgur during work, but are a godsend when it comes to protecting children from the more shadier corners of the internet. Japan, like most of the developed world, is no stranger to these filters on their PCs, but a new study shows that the country has completely overlooked using them on consoles.

This study, performed by an organization called CESA, shows that in Japan only 9.2% of the population understands that consoles like the Wii U, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 have parental controls and filters, and only 1.9% use them. These are staggeringly low numbers, and Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have started a campaign to raise them.

The three companies will be distributing fliers across the country that will instruct parents not only on what filters are available, but also how they can find and activate them. Pretty smart move that makes all three seem like responsible companies.