
Study Buddy (Challenger): China sets new cyber safety rules to protect minors
- Regulations will take effect on January 1 and aim to provide an online environment good for the ‘physical and mental health’ of underage users
- This page is for students who want to take their reading comprehension to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills

Content provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] China has introduced regulations to step up the protection of minors in cyberspace in an attempt to fend off risks ranging from internet violence to addiction. Chinese Premier Li Qiang issued an order last month to pass the Cyberspace Protection Regulations for Minors in a bid to provide a cyber environment that is good for the “physical and mental health” of its more than 191 million internet users younger than 18.
[2] The new regulations, the first of their kind, stipulate that schools and technology companies should provide terminals, software or apps with special functions to intervene and better protect minors from internet addiction and harmful content. The rules, which come into effect on January 1, followed 2021 requirements by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) that tech companies apply a “youth mode” to control gaming and content for users aged under 16. In youth mode, for example, users are barred from live-streaming broadcasts or giving gifts to live-streamers.
[3] China is working on another rule to expand the requirements that would see a “curfew” from 10pm to 6am that bars anyone under 18 from accessing the internet during that period. The CAC will coordinate among various government departments – including ministries and administrations in charge of press and publication, public security, and education – to carry out the protection work.
[4] According to the regulations, internet product and service providers should be subject to supervision by the government and society, cooperate in inspections, set up complaint or reporting channels and handle cases in a timely manner. Firms that fail to do so are subject to a fine of up to 500,000 yuan (HK$535,700).
[5] Organisations and individuals are prohibited from producing, reproducing, publishing or spreading pornographic or violent content or content concerning gambling, cults, superstition, terrorism, separatism or that causes people to take their own lives. Under the regulations, China encourages the spread of content promoting “socialist core values”, revolutionary culture and traditional Chinese culture to improve morality.
[6] The Cyberspace Protection Regulations for Minors also require web product and service providers to set up and improve mechanisms for early warning, detection and response to cyberbullying. The rules say that schools should enhance teachers’ guidance and training, improve their ability to detect internet addiction in students and intervene at an early stage. Internet product and service providers should release anti-internet addiction measures to the public.
[7] In 2021, nearly 97 per cent of Chinese children aged between six and 18 used the internet, official data showed. Of more than 26,000 minors surveyed by the China Internet Network Information Centre across the nation in 2021, more than a quarter said they had encountered “cybersecurity incidents” in the past six months, including internet fraud, viruses and leaked personal information.
[8] Around 38 per cent said they had been subjected to harmful or “pessimistic and negative content” via videos made to show off wealth, those promoting “lying flat”, as well as bloody and violent content. Nearly 17 per cent said they had been bullied online, while 7 per cent reported being harassed in cyberspace.
Source: South China Morning Post, October 25
Questions
1. Paragraph 1 describes …
A. the importance of a healthy cyber environment.
B. different sorts of online risks minors are exposed to.
C. new laws to protect minors from online risks.
D. why minors are vulnerable to online addiction.
2. Find a phrase in paragraph 2 that means “to start being used”.
___________________________________________________
3. What is the aim of the “curfew” mentioned in paragraph 3?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the consequences for companies that violate the regulations outlined in paragraph 4?___________________________________________________
5. Under the Cyberspace Protection Regulations for Minors mentioned in paragraph 6, web platforms must implement measures to … cyberbullying incidents.
A. prevent, identify, and respond to
B. report, reduce, detect
C. enhance, investigate, improve
D. discover, prevent, report
6. Based on the text, which of the following are not mentioned as a risk area for minors by the CAC?
A. online gaming and gambling
B. internet violence and addiction
C. cyberbullying and pornography
D. none of the above
7. Complete the summary about paragraphs 7 and 8 using the words and phrases in the word box. (5 marks)
NOTE TO DESIGNERS: REFER TO FILED REFERENCE FOR WORD BOX
internet penetration rate / incidents / bullied / survey / exposed to
China Internet Network Information Centre conducted a (i) _____ in 2021, and the outcomes are as follows:
-
The (ii) _____ is high among youth aged six to 18.
-
Cybersecurity (iii) _____ are not uncommon.
-
One-third of minor users were (iv) _____ what is considered to be negative content.
-
Less than one in 10 minors were (v) _____ online.
8. Which of the following cannot be inferred about the Chinese government according to the text?
A. It is taking steps to restrict access to internet products and services that are deemed harmful or inappropriate for minors.
B. It is concerned by the low levels of online security awareness among the youth.
C. It regards the internet as a means to promote moral values.
D. It is introducing legal punishment for those under the age of 18 for their online game addiction.
9. What is the aim of this text?
A. to deter
B. to encourage
C. to inform
D. to caution
Answers
1. C
2. come into effect
3. It is to bar anyone under 18 from accessing the internet from 10pm to 6am.
4. They are subject to a fine of up to 500,000 yuan.
5. A
6. D
7. (i) survey; (ii) internet penetration rate; (iii) incidents; (iv) exposed; (v) bullied
8. D
9. C