China looks to control teenagers' internet screentime to just two hours a day
Beijing plans to introduce a nationwide phone blocker that will limit the amount of time teens can spend on their devices amid rising fears of smartphone addiction in China.
The country's internet regulation body, the Cyberspace Administration of China, says it will mandate the "minor mode programmes", which would prohibit them from using their devices at all between 10pm and 6am. For the rest of the day, users aged 16 to 18 are allowed two hours of screen time, while those under 16 get just an hour. For children under the age of eight, they are allowed just eight minutes on their smartphones.
Despite the hardline approach, parents will be allowed to opt out of the limitations, but the plans sparked uproar among Chinese tech investors. Shares in the companies plummeted after the CAC published its proposals. CAC added that the plans are open for the public to comment on until September.
Lawyer Xia Hailong, who works for Shenlun, a legal firm in Shanghai, said internet companies will suffer if the new plans come into action. "A lot of effort and additional costs to properly implement these new regulatory requirements," he said. Mr Hailong added that to make life easier, the Chinese internet companies could decide to just ban those under 18s outright.
"The risk of non-compliance will also be very high. I believe that many internet companies may consider directly prohibiting minors from using their services," he said.
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Beijing has repeatedly tried to control the lives of its teenage citizens. In 2021, under-18s were hit with further restrictions as to how long they could spend playing online games by banning weeknight gaming. They further limited their gameplay time to an hour from 8 to 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Earlier this year, a cybersecurity expert shared some of the top warning signs your kid could be addicted to online gaming.
But even though gaming can be very beneficial for developing social connections and problem-solving - too much of it can lead to an addiction, which has some pretty bad consequences.
A cyber security expert at VPNoverview.com shared some of the warning signs to look out for with The Mirror in March.
Expert Lauren Mak shared: "Whilst online gaming can be a fantastic way for children and teenagers to increase cognitive skills, develop social awareness and enhance creativity, there is a risk that the child can develop an addiction because of spending too much time playing online."
It can be difficult to tell if an addiction has actually formed but there are some big warning signs, according to the expert.
To begin with, there can be a lack of interest in the things they used to enjoy. When this happens it can limit them to gaming and stop them from doing other activities outside of it.
Your child could also experience mood swings, impatience or irritability if they are going through withdrawal from gaming.
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