China restricts minors from live streaming, citing need to improve their ‘physical and mental health’
- Users aged between 16 and 18 must obtain permission from their parents or guardians before doing live-streams, and minors are banned from tipping online
- China’s tighter rules on the live-streaming sector appear to be following a similar path as that for video games
China’s regulators have moved to ban minors from participating in the country’s live-streaming industry to protect “their physical and mental health”, the latest in a series of crackdowns on a sector that gained huge popularity amid the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020.
The new requirements, issued by four regulators including the National Radio and Television Administration and the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), represent the latest government moves to strengthen minor protection in cyberspace.
“Internet platforms should … strictly implement the real-name registration requirement, and prohibit offering minors’ tipping services such as cash top-up, gift purchase, and online payment,” according to a statement issued by the regulators on Saturday.
“If platforms are found to violate the above requirements, measures including suspension of the tipping feature and shutting down of the live-streaming business could be put in place.”
The new rules also prohibit those under 16 from live-streaming, while users aged between 16 and 18 must obtain permission from their parents or guardians before doing live streams.
Regulators also want Big Tech to improve and upgrade their “youth mode”, a feature deployed by tech firms last year under state pressure to protect teenagers from gaming addiction and inappropriate content.
Platforms are being asked to employ dedicated youth content censorship teams, and must shut down youth mode user activities after 10pm to “ensure they have enough time to rest”, the statement said.