China Proposes Two-Hour Limit on Internet Access for Minors

On Wednesday, China published new draft regulations to monitor the amount of time minors spend on the internet each day. The Cyberspace Administration of China’s (CAC) proposal introduces a “minor mode,” which would restrict the type of content the minor sees, depending on their age, and will limit their mobile usage to only two hours.

Under the new legislation, minors won’t be allowed to access their mobile devices between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and will rely on the parents to activate minor mode on their devices so they can “perform guardianship duties” and “guide minors to form good surfing habits,” the proposal says. The regulation will also require smart mobile terminals, applications, and application distribution platforms to establish a way for parents to activate the minor mode and will need to put protocols in place to handle any complaints or reports involving minors.

The platforms will have to identify any and all illegal information before it makes its way onto the minor’s device including “information that may affect the physical and mental health of minors,” although the regulation does not state what specifically falls under that category.

These restrictions are separated into age groups, with different information available depending on the user’s “mental health development” to deal with the content and the time restraints will likewise be enforced based on the user’s age. According to the proposed regulation, those under eight years old will be restricted to using their smartphone for only 40 minutes a day, while those between the ages of 8 and 16 can use their phone for one hour per day and minors 16 to 18 years old can use their device for up to two hours each day.

If a minor tries to access their device beyond the time limit, their parent or guardian will be notified and if the child wants to ask permission to extend their internet use, they will need to formally send an exception request to their parent or guardian to sign off on.

The regulation also breaks down the age-based content services, recommending children under three years old have access to children’s songs and enlightenment education and recommends eight to 12-year-olds see general education, and life skills, and will be able to view news that the Chinese government deems suitable for their age group.

Most smart devices have had a parental security system for years, but the Chinese government seems to want to once again ramp up its level of control over what its citizens can view online. And while the CAC says online platforms are responsible for complying with the regulations, it doesn’t specify what, if any, penalties they or parents would receive.

Xia Hailong, a lawyer at the Shanghai Shenlun law firm, told Reuters the new regulation would make it increasingly difficult for internet companies to provide their services. “A lot of effort and additional costs to properly implement these new regulatory requirements,” he said. “And the risk of non-compliance will also be very high. So I believe that many internet companies may consider directly prohibiting minors from using their services.”

However, Zhang Yi, chief executive of research firm iiMedia, claimed that the new policy would allegedly help smartphone brands like Apple, Xiaomi, and Huawei Technologies by increasing the number of parents who will let their children use a smartphone. “If minor protection is not comprehensive, parents will hesitate to let children use their phones,” Yi told the South China Morning Post.

This is yet another attempt by the Chinese government to assert its control over its people, having succeeded at passing a policy that restricts minors from playing online video games for more than three hours per week.