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.
This move by the Chinese government is driven by concerns over the potential detrimental effects of prolonged mobile device and online service usage on children’s development. The government has already imposed limits on online video game time, allowing young people only three hours of gaming per week, and only on weekends and public holidays.
While the draft is open to public consultation and not guaranteed to pass, it signals the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to protect children from excessive screen time and addictive behaviors. However, there are questions about the practical implementation of these rules. It remains unclear whether hardware manufacturers or operating system developers will be responsible for implementing the proposed kids mode. This could pose challenges for companies like Apple and Google, as it might require them to make changes to their devices and parental control features.
If these rules come into effect, they will also have a significant impact on Chinese app developers, such as ByteDance (responsible for TikTok and its China-native counterpart Douyin) and Tencent (maker of WeChat and various games). These companies may need to redesign their apps and tailor content to comply with the new time limits.
In conclusion, China’s proposed draft rules to limit smartphone use for children aim to protect their well-being and development. By capping phone time and providing parental controls, the government seeks to curb addictive behavior and ensure children have access to age-appropriate content. As the rules undergo public consultation, their implementation and potential effects on both device manufacturers and app developers will need to be carefully considered.
