Chinese youth or individuals below the legal age of 18 could face a limited time with smartphones as the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) proposed draft rules that ask to put a cap on the time underage children use the device—to just two hours at most, per day.
The rules even vary, depending on the age bracket. That is, granting a maximum of two hours for youths between the age of 17 and 16; an hour at most to those between the age of 15 and 8; and just 40 minutes for those younger than eight.
Aside from the restricted time, the proposal also asks for the complete prohibition of smartphone usage among the youth starting from late at night to the very early morning, or between 10PM and 6AM.
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In addition, it also demands that parents gain control over what their children see and give permission to internet providers to show age-appropriate content. For kids below three years of age, they would only be allowed exposure to music and other forms of audio, while those 12 years of age and older can view educational and news materials.
There would be exceptions concerning controlled educational content as well as emergency services, however.
The bid comes as the Chinese government attempts to curb the addictive behavior caused by the excessive use of smartphones among children, said to be hampering their development.
As it is, China already had similar rules in place since 2021, which restrict the young members of their society to just three hours of online gaming per week, including weekends and public holidays.
Via: CNBC