China tightens restrictions on children's smartphone usage time.

According to DW News , in an effort to combat addiction to electronic devices, China has issued a draft guideline regulating the amount of time children can spend using mobile phones.

The draft, which is scheduled to enter the legal process on September 2nd after public consultation, stipulates that mobile applications and devices must include a built-in mode to limit daily usage time to a maximum of 2 hours.

Time limits will decrease depending on the user's age, with children under 8 years old limited to 40 minutes. Additionally, those under 18 years old cannot use mobile devices between 10 PM and 6 AM.

Under the new regulations, parents will be able to decide whether to apply restrictions and extend the timeframe. The draft regulations, developed by China's Cyberspace Administration, also call for content security, meaning online information must include values ​​that help children cultivate good morals.

This proposal has received much support from Chinese users, but also much criticism. One comment, "The result of wanting to control everything is that nothing is well controlled," garnered hundreds of likes under a post from the Weibo account of the People's Daily , a Chinese state-run media outlet.

This proposal follows a series of measures taken to strengthen China's cyberspace management. Since 2019, the country has tightened online gaming time for those under 18, known as the 'youth regime'. Initially, the guidelines allowed 90 minutes of online gaming per day on weekdays. But since 2021, a stricter update has limited Chinese teenagers to just one hour of gaming on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.

China's new regulations could impact the country's youth.

Video and live streaming apps must also comply with an 'anti-addiction system,' requiring users to register using their real names and government-issued identification.

As of June 2023, the country had an internet user rate exceeding 76%, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center. With this ever-expanding internet user base, social media videos and mobile games can be considered forms of distracting entertainment.

Chinese technology companies were immediately impacted by this proposal. On the day the guidance was released, shares of several of the country's internet giants plummeted in afternoon trading.

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