China: Closed consultation on Guidelines for the Construction of Minor Mode of the Mobile Internet including service access restrictions

On 2 September 2023, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) closed its consultation on the draft Guidelines for the Construction of Minor Mode of the Mobile Internet. The Guidelines apply to mobile internet applications, mobile internet application distribution service platforms, and smart mobile terminals including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and other smart wearable devices. The Guidelines introduce an age classification system and requirements to improve the “minor mode”. In particular, smart mobile terminals are required to provide differentiated usage time for minors according to their age group, when the daily use time limit is exceeded, the smart mobile terminal should automatically close other applications. More specifically, minors under the age of 8 would be allowed internet access for 40 minutes a day, between the ages of 8 to 12 for one hour a day, and 16 to 18 for two hours a day. Smart mobile terminals are also prohibited from providing services to minors from 22:00 to 06:00 the next day. In addition, smart mobile terminals, applications, and application distribution platforms are required to provide parents with management authority over the duration of usage time, downloading and installing applications, and information received, among others.