China's Cyber Regulator Plans Rules Requiring Platforms To Provide "Teen Mode"

JAKARTA – Companies involved in online gaming, live streaming, audio, and video in China must set up "youth mode" to protect minors. This rule appears in a draft regulation issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC.), on Monday, March 14.

“Main platforms should regularly conduct cyber-protection assessments for minors to provide them with a “clean” online environment,” said a CAC source. They also added that the platform should also limit the amount of daily spending for underage users.

China's major video streaming platforms, Tencent Video and iQIYI, as well as ByteDance's short video platform Douyin, have been rolling out "teen mode" for minors.

Authorities in China have long been concerned about gaming and internet addiction among young people.

Last year, China introduced new rules that limit the number of time children under 18 can spend playing video games to a maximum of three hours a week. This is a step that is said to be necessary to combat children's game addiction in China.

This step is certainly less popular for game makers in the world. It is not yet known, however, what percentage of the decline must be borne by game makers when China tightens gameplay schedules for children in the country.