Seeks grand alliance between device-makers, app developers and content providers. All in the name of socialism
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) last week released guidelines that suggest mobile devices be equipped with "minors' mode" that enforces both censorship and automatic usage time limits.
The proposed plan for "minors' mode" outlines daily usage limits of an hour for children under 16, and up to two hours for those aged 16 to 18. The system will also block apps between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, unless parental exemptions are granted.
After 30 minutes of continuous use by a minor, the device should give a reminder to rest.
"When the recommended daily usage time is exceeded, all applications except for certain necessary applications and applications with parental custom exemptions will be suspended by default," stated the CAC.
The regulator also wants minors' mode to include a content filter that ensures only age-appropriate material reaches young eyeballs. That means "children's songs, enlightenment education and other parent-child companionship content, mainly audio" for toddlers, and "general education, subject education, knowledge popularization, life skills, entertainment content with positive guidance, and news and information suitable for the cognitive ability" for 12- to 16-year-olds.
And of course, content should "promote the core socialist values and advanced socialist culture," while it "cultivates minor's patriotism."
In the underage mode, private messengers from strangers or specific users can be blocked, as can visibility on social media.
The org stipulates that basic communication products and services such as text messages, calls, voice, and contacts will remain usable for safety reasons. Registered educational services will also be exempt from the automatic shutdown.
Most mobile OSes allow parents to restrict children's activities. But China's move goes beyond mandating that sort thing with what Beijing has labelled a "three-party collaboration" that will see device makers, app developers and app stores work together to develop minor mode and manage parent complaints.
The trio will have to collaborate and make sure the mode is interoperable across the many different screens a child might get their hands on. "Automatic switching" is required, meaning when a phone in a minor's hand is powered on, it automatically updates linked devices and apps.
Although the CAC is strict in its directive to industry, it's currently being softer on its requirement to use the mode. The feature will be initiated by the parents, who can choose not to activate it.
Parents can also exit the mode using passwords, fingerprints or facial recognition.
And to address clever opportunistic children, the mode must have an anti-bypass function. It requires parental verification to exit or restore settings, ensures the minors mode icon is always visible and cannot be hidden, and prevents modifications to the system date and time.
The requirement is a tall order, but many of the CAC's directives are. In the past, its asked for realtime censorship of satellite broadband, web giants to manage misinformation and fake news, AI generated content to only reflect socialist values and wide-spread "clean ups" of the internet.
Other countries are also currently imposing new requirements on platforms in efforts to protect minors - a worthy cause given the dangers excessive exposures to screens, internet and social media create.
Earlier this month, the Australian government confirmed it will move ahead with a ban that prevents those under the age of 16 from using social media.
The nation's eSafety Commissioner will handle oversight and enforcement while social media platforms themselves will be required to detect the age of the user.
The Australian government has contributed to the effort by spending $6.5 million on an age assurance trial, of which it awarded a tender last week.
The UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, has also provided guidance on how online services could execute age verification. Some of the nations' MPs have also advocated for a total ban on smartphones until the age of 16. ®