On 24 October 2023 the State Council published the Regulation on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace, effective 1 January 2024, with seven chapters and sixty articles. It is China’s first administrative regulation dedicated to minors’ online protection.
The regulation is not a statement of principles. It allocates responsibility to specific products and processes. For platforms, six tasks should be completed before launch.
First: minors mode
The regulation requires online games, live streaming, audio-video and social services to provide time management, permission management and spending management for minors. Minors mode cannot be a mere switch; it needs a separate content pool, usage limits and parental controls.
Discoverability matters too. An entry buried in settings, off by default, or producing a visibly degraded experience may be treated as ineffective implementation.
Second: real-name verification and age estimation
Providers must verify minors’ identity and offer corresponding protection. Real-name verification is the foundation, but self-declared age is unreliable. For games, tipping and social features, device, payment and behavioural data should support the assessment.
Age estimation involves personal information and must follow minimal necessity. Collecting large amounts of irrelevant data to determine age may itself breach personal information rules.
Third: personal information
The regulation contains dedicated rules: processing personal information of minors under fourteen requires guardian consent and specific processing rules. Processing sensitive information, providing it to third parties or disclosing it requires stricter conditions.
Platforms should separate necessary information from value-added information. Data required for registration and security verification should be distinguished from data used for profiling, recommendation and marketing, with separate consent and refusal options.
Fourth: addiction prevention
Platforms must prevent addiction through time limits, limits on continuous use, rest prompts and parental tools. Recommendation algorithms may not push content likely to induce addiction to minors.
For short video, live streaming and games, recommendation is central to addiction governance. Platforms need to explain recommendation logic, set content boundaries for minors and limit night-time and continuous use at product level.
Fifth: content governance
Platforms must manage content concerning minors and may not produce, copy, publish or disseminate content harmful to their physical or mental health. Content that insults, defames or bullies minors must be handled promptly.
Platforms need dedicated reporting channels and handling processes with shorter timelines. Generic reporting channels often respond too slowly.
Sixth: social responsibility and reporting
The regulation requires platforms to establish social responsibility evaluation for minors’ protection, conduct regular assessments and retain records. Major incidents must be reported and handled as required.
Assessment is not a formality. It should cover product features, content ecosystem, complaint data, handling outcomes and improvements, and withstand regulatory inspection.
Timing
The regulation takes effect on 1 January 2024, leaving less than three months. A sensible sequence is: product inventory and gap analysis; minors mode and real-name adjustments; privacy policy and guardian consent flows; internal training and assessment records.
For minors’ personal information and data compliance, see our data compliance service; for product launch documents, see AI product launch documents; for platform licensing, see business licensing.
This article is based on the Regulation on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace published by the State Council on 24 October 2023. It is for reference only and does not constitute legal advice.