Chinese regulators have suggested regulations that would cap the daily smartphone screen time for those under the age of 18 at two hours.
Beijing's determination to assert control over more aspects of the nation's digital life is evident in the extreme draft regulations proposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which is becoming more and more powerful, as reported by NBC News.
If the regulations become law, they might have an impact on businesses like Tencent and ByteDance, which manage some of China's most popular mobile apps.
The CAC's proposed restrictions are part of a larger effort by Chinese authorities to prevent and reduce app and smartphone addiction in young people. China enacted legislation in 2021 prohibiting minors under the age of 18 from playing video games online for more than three hours per week.
Some of the largest internet companies in China have tried to anticipate future regulatory restrictions.
The Proposed Regulations: "Minor Mode"
According to the proposed regulations, cell phones must include a "minor mode" that is readily accessible for users under the age of 18, either as a home screen icon or in the device's system settings.
With the minor mode, parents may control what their children see online and internet service providers can display content tailored to the user's age. Children under the age of three should watch songs and audio-focused entertainment, according to CAC. The age range for those who can access instructional and news content is 12 to 16.
The CAC issued a warning to online businesses not to offer services that encourage addiction or are harmful to children's physical and mental health.
The CAC's proposed guidelines categorize youngsters into various age groups and place various limitations on them according to their age.
No more than 40 minutes per day should be allowed for smartphone use by kids under the age of eight. Children who are eight years old or older but under the age of sixteen may use their phones for no more than one hour per day. A maximum of two hours can be spent using a phone by those between the ages of 16 and 17.
After 10 p.m., a device shall not offer any services to children. to 6 a.m. the draft regulations, of the following day.
There are several exceptions to these times since regulated educational items and applications for emergency services are not constrained.
Any attempts to remove a device from minor mode must be verified by a parent.
Read also: TikTok Unveils 'Project Clover' To Address Cybersecurity Concerns
Regulations Are Still Being Drafted
China's regulations are still being drafted and are available for public comment. The draft law's implementation and enforcement procedures as well as the potential effects on China's digital titans are still up for debate.
For instance, it is not obvious who will be in charge of developing a minor mode-the device manufacturer, the operating system supplier, or both. In either scenario, Apple might be forced, for instance, to design something fresh for its iPhones in China.
Also must be addressed is how the CAC will oversee the minor mode software and these time restrictions.
Technology behemoths operating in China, including hardware manufacturers like Apple and Xiaomi and software developers like Tencent and Baidu, will be keenly monitoring the legislation.
Tencent and NetEase, two of the largest online gaming companies in the world, claimed that users under the age of 18 only made up a small fraction of their total revenue when China began to restrict young people's gaming time two years ago.
Related article: China Plans to Limit Children's Smartphone Use to 2 Hours: 40 Minutes For Younger Kids?
