China 'tightens' smartphone usage time for children

According to DW News , in order to combat addiction to electronic devices, China has issued a draft guideline regulating the time children spend using their phones.

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

The time limit will decrease depending on the user's age, with children under 8 years old being limited to 40 minutes. Additionally, those under 18 years old cannot use mobile devices between 10pm and 6am.

Under the new rules, parents will be able to decide whether to impose restrictions and extend the time. Draft regulations drawn up by the Cyberspace Administration of China also call for content security, meaning online information must include values ​​that help children cultivate good morals.

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

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

China's new regulations could affect the country's youth

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

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

The proposal’s immediate impact was felt by Chinese tech companies, with shares of some of the country’s internet giants falling sharply in afternoon trading on the day the guidelines were announced.

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