China is making kids stop using smartphones with in a day

August 4, 2023: Chinese regulators have proposed rules that would determine the smartphone screen time of people aged less than 18 to a maximum of two hours per day.

The radical draft rules by China’s increasingly powerful Cyberspace Administration highlight Beijing’s desire to control more parts of the country’s digital life.

If the rules are brought into law, they could have implications for companies such as Tencent and ByteDance, which run some of China’s biggest mobile apps.

The CAC’s draft rules are a broader push by Chinese authorities to curb and prevent addiction among those under 18 to apps and smartphones. In 2021, China introduced a regulation that restricted teens under 18 years of age from playing online video games for over three hours per week.

Some of China’s biggest internet giants have looked to pre-empt regulators further tightening measures.

The drafted rules demand smartphones to have a “minor mode” for those under 18 years of age that should be straightforward to access when the device powers on, as either a home screen icon or in the device’s system settings.

The minor mode will permit parents to manage what their kids see and let internet service providers show content based on a user’s age. According to CAC, children under three should be shown songs and audio-focused content. Those between 12 and 16 can be exposed to educational and news content.

The CAC warned online companies not to provide services that induce addiction or are detrimental to the physical and mental healthy of kids.