How to define the "online safety boundaries" for "Better Days"?

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Currently, issues such as minors addicted to the internet and exposure to harmful online information have garnered widespread social concern. During this year’s National Two Sessions, several delegates and committee members proposed improving laws and regulations, emphasizing platform responsibilities from the source, and strengthening the protective network for minors online.

“Data shows that in the digital age, China has 1.123 billion internet users, nearly 200 million of whom are minors. The ‘virtual world’ built by mobile phones and social media directly impacts minors’ memory and critical thinking skills.” During this year’s National Two Sessions, Luo Tian, Deputy Research Librarian at Guilin Library in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, suggested establishing clear legal regulations on minors’ use of smartphones and the minimum age for social media access.

With the deep popularization of the internet, the number of minor internet users in China has exceeded 196 million, and the age at which teenagers first go online is showing a clear downward trend. According to the “Sixth China Minors Internet Usage Survey Report,” the internet penetration rate among minors has increased to 97.3%.

What issues still exist with minors’ online activities? How can their online safety be effectively protected? These topics have sparked lively discussions among delegates and committee members.

Minors’ Internet Addiction Leading to Crime

“Through research, I learned that a minor was addicted to gaming for two months, and their myopia increased by 200 degrees.” Hu Dongfang, Senior Mold Designer at Zhejiang Chentai Technology Co., Ltd., told reporters.

“Teenagers are in a critical period of physical and mental development, with relatively weak self-control. Excessive addiction to online games can not only affect their studies but also damage eyesight and bones, and may even trigger psychological issues such as anxiety and depression, affecting their healthy growth,” Hu Dongfang said.

Huang Yunna, a coach at the Technical Center of Xi’an Textile Holding Co., Ltd., pointed out the chaos in short micro-drama content. “Some children’s micro-dramas deviate from mainstream values, promote unhealthy messages, and there are issues like over-recommendation algorithms and rampant pop-up ads,” she said.

In a case published by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, minor Gao Moumou was addicted to online games, repeatedly stole others’ phones, and used transfers to steal money from victims’ Alipay and bank cards to recharge game accounts and buy equipment. The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Procuratorate found that this was a crime triggered by gaming addiction. Gao had previously downloaded game boosting apps from app stores to level up for adult clients, earning rewards, with daily gaming times exceeding ten hours.

Some Platforms Fail to Implement Content Grading Responsibilities

Luo Tian believes that currently, some online platforms do not fulfill their content grading and push responsibilities, indiscriminately pushing information unsuitable for minors, and some platforms, targeting minors’ psychological traits, use algorithms to precisely design and push addictive content, infringing on minors’ legal rights.

In February this year, the Supreme People’s Court released typical cases involving minors’ online protection and criminal punishment. In one case, 17-year-old Mu, along with others, pretended to be game boosters, tricked others into logging into pre-prepared accounts, then changed passwords and remotely locked their phones to threaten and extort over 75,000 yuan from multiple victims.

Investigations revealed that Mu and others learned criminal methods through harmful information posted on short video platforms. After the case was concluded, the court issued judicial suggestions to short video platforms regarding content regulation, citing that the minors’ mode on these platforms failed to provide effective protection, content review was inadequate, a large amount of harmful information was accessible, and the risk warning mechanisms were insufficient, making it difficult to effectively alert minors.

Professor Tian Xuan, a distinguished professor at Peking University, pointed out that China’s current regulation of minors’ use of social media faces issues such as an incomplete tiered management system, uneven platform responsibilities, imperfect collaborative governance mechanisms, and insufficient regulatory adaptability and practicality.

Specifically, regarding platform responsibilities, Tian Xuan noted that some platforms lack sufficient control over addictive features, with infinite scrolling and autoplay functions encouraging minors to indulge. Additionally, the accuracy and efficiency of harmful content filtering need improvement, and some social and instant messaging platforms have become regulatory blind spots. Low penalties for violations reduce platform motivation to fulfill their duties.

Improving Laws and Regulations to Clarify Responsibilities

The government work report this year emphasized strengthening online content development and management, deepening comprehensive internet governance, and advancing minors’ online protection.

“Promoting minors’ online protection is a systematic project and a shared responsibility of society,” said Wang Haixia, a staff member at the Economic Development Office of the United Township People’s Government of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing. She believes that healthy internet use by minors requires not only solid legal safeguards but also that social platforms shoulder their regulatory responsibilities and defend the first line of online protection.

Starting March 1 this year, the National Internet Information Office, the National Press and Publication Administration, and six other departments jointly implemented the “Classification Measures for Online Information That May Affect Minors’ Physical and Mental Health.” As an important supporting system for implementing the “Minors’ Online Protection Regulations,” it fills the regulatory gap in the classification management of online information for minors.

Hu Dongfang suggested that the country should quickly introduce and improve relevant laws and regulations, clarifying responsibilities for all parties. “All online game companies should be required to use real-name face recognition technology for user authentication. Companies that do not comply should face strict penalties, including fines and suspension of operations. Relevant departments should lead efforts to develop technical standards and norms for real-name face recognition login systems for games,” he said.

Huang Yunna called for upstream control measures, such as guiding content creation with core values, establishing viewing time limits, and strictly regulating pop-up ads, to build a comprehensive legal protection network for minors.