China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) has proposed new draft rules that could further limit smartphone use for children under 18 in an effort to curb addictive behavior and protect their development. The proposed rules would cap phone time for 16- and 17-year-olds at a maximum of two hours per day, while youth between eight and 15 would be limited to one hour per day. Children under eight years old would have even stricter limits, with only 40 minutes of phone time allowed.
The draft rules also include a ban on phone use between 10 PM and 6 AM. Phones would need to have an easily accessible mode that allows parents to restrict what their kids see, and internet providers would be required to show age-appropriate content. For children under three years old, only songs and other forms of audio would be allowed, while kids aged 12 and up can access educational and news materials. The proposed rules do allow exceptions for regulated educational content and emergency services.
