China’s digital authority, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), is rolling out new rules to tackle youth’s excessive use of smartphones.
The move will impact online giants like Tencent and ByteDance, which run popular social media and online gaming platforms.
On Wednesday, the CAC revealed a draft law stating that youngsters would not be allowed to use most online services on smartphones from 10 PM to 6 AM.
It further proposed that 16 to 18 year olds could only be online for two hours a day. Those aged 8 to 15 would get just one hour, and those under 8 would be limited to 40 minutes a day.
The CAC will exempt certain services thought to help the physical and mental development of children, although they have not yet specified which these will be.
Beijing is tackling internet addiction, which it believes is rampant among the young. In 2019, China restricted daily online gaming to 90 minutes and tightened it further in 2021, allowing only one hour of gaming on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays.
Video platforms like Douyin, Bilibili, and Kuaishou have already introduced youth modes that limit the content and usage time for minors, even encouraging educational content like science experiments.
The new rules may impact companies like Tencent, China’s top online gaming firm, and ByteDance, the powerhouse behind the popular short-video platform Douyin. In China, it is usually the companies themselves that must enforce these regulations.
According to the CAC, its recent push for youth modes on internet platforms has been effective in protecting minors online.
It has expanded its scope, improved functions and content to match the age groups. The CAC maintained that these efforts have reduced internet addiction among youth and protected them from unwanted information.
The CAC has invited public feedback on these draft laws until 2 September, but it has not disclosed when the new regulations will come into effect.
