China launches anti-addiction drive to protect the country’s short video-loving youth

China’s internet regulator has introduced anti-addiction trial projects on some of the country’s most popular short video platforms as part of its attempts to assuage public concern that excessive consumption of such content is hurting the health of the country’s young.

Under the “guidance and organisation” of Cyberspace Administration of China, China’s widely used short video platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishou and Huoshan, have for the first time rolled out in-app anti-addiction systems for youth, according to a Thursday notice published on the administration’s official website.

The system is not compulsory. But once users opt in, they will only have access to video content that is deemed appropriate for youngsters. They will be barred from using certain features, such as tipping, and will face limits on when and how much time they get to watch short videos, according to the notice.

The move, which is designed to “protect the healthy growth of those who are under 18” and “create a good internet environment in China”, comes amid a drive by Beijing to tighten its grip on short video, which is sweeping the country’s 648 million mobile users, millennials in particular, with a new form of entertainment.

Smartphone-enabled entertainment from social messaging, gaming, live-streaming and short video has become a bigger part of the lives of China’s youth, posing challenges to parents and authorities when it comes to protecting children from inappropriate content or indeed addiction.