Adopted at the 16th Executive Meeting of the State Council on September 20, 2023
Effective: January 1, 2024
Table of Contents
Chapter I — General Provisions
Article 1 — These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and other laws for the purposes of creating a healthy cyberspace environment conducive to the physical and mental health of minors, protecting the lawful rights and interests of minors, and regulating the conduct of all parties in relation to the protection of minors in cyberspace.
Article 2 — These Regulations shall apply to activities involving the protection of minors in cyberspace within the territory of the People’s Republic of China. For the purposes of these Regulations, “minors” means citizens under the age of 18.
Article 3 — The protection of minors in cyberspace shall adhere to the principles of being most beneficial to minors, combining social co-governance with categorized protection, and combining online and offline protection.
Article 4 — The cyberspace administration departments shall be responsible for the overall coordination of the protection of minors in cyberspace. Departments of education, public security, civil affairs, culture and tourism, health, market regulation, radio and television, and press and publication shall be responsible for the protection of minors in cyberspace within their respective scope of duties.
Chapter II — Promotion of Network Literacy
Article 5 — The State shall strengthen the cultivation of minors’ network literacy, incorporate the improvement of minors’ network literacy into quality education, and enhance minors’ ability to use the internet in a civilized, safe, and reasonable manner.
Article 6 — Schools shall include the improvement of students’ network literacy in educational and teaching activities, educate and guide students in the correct use of the internet, and cultivate students’ awareness of cybersecurity and network civility.
Article 7 — Parents or other guardians of minors shall strengthen education and guidance on family network literacy, guide minors to use the internet correctly, arrange the duration of internet use reasonably, and prevent minors from becoming addicted to the internet.
Chapter III — Regulation of Network Information Content
Article 8 — Network information content producers shall strictly comply with laws, regulations, and public order and good customs, and shall not produce, copy, publish, or disseminate information that endangers the physical and mental health of minors.
Article 9 — Network product and service providers shall establish and improve mechanisms for identifying and handling information harmful to minors, and shall promptly handle illegal and harmful information discovered.
Article 10 — Network product and service providers providing network information content services to minors shall establish a special protection mechanism for minors, including content filtering, usage duration management, consumption limit settings, and other functions.
Article 11 — Online gaming service providers shall strictly implement the real-name registration and login requirements for minor users, and shall not provide online gaming services to minors during time periods other than those specified by the State.
Article 12 — Online livestreaming service providers shall establish age-appropriate content systems and prohibit minors under the age of 16 from participating in online livestreaming as streamers without the consent of their guardians.
Chapter IV — Protection of Personal Information
Article 13 — Network product and service providers collecting personal information of minors shall comply with laws and administrative regulations on the protection of personal information, and shall obtain the consent of the minors’ parents or other guardians.
Article 14 — Network product and service providers shall not collect personal information of minors beyond what is necessary for the provision of services. They shall not use the personal information of minors for precision marketing or behavioral analysis purposes unrelated to the services.
Article 15 — Network product and service providers shall establish a mechanism for exercising rights related to the personal information of minors, and shall accept and handle requests from minors or their guardians for access, correction, and deletion of personal information in a timely manner.
Article 16 — Network product and service providers discovering that the personal information of minors has been or may have been leaked, tampered with, or lost shall immediately initiate an emergency response plan and promptly notify the affected minors or their guardians, and report to the relevant authorities in accordance with the law.
Chapter V — Prevention of Network Addiction
Article 17 — Schools shall strengthen education on the prevention of network addiction, promptly discover and intervene in cases where students are addicted to the internet, and inform parents or other guardians in a timely manner.
Article 18 — Parents or other guardians shall pay attention to minors’ internet usage, reasonably arrange the duration of internet use, and prevent minors from becoming addicted to the internet.
Article 19 — Network product and service providers shall establish and improve mechanisms for preventing network addiction, shall not induce minors to become addicted, and shall provide functions and services that are conducive to preventing minors from becoming addicted to the internet.
Article 20 — Online gaming, online livestreaming, online video, online social networking, and other network service providers shall set time limits, consumption limits, and other management functions for minor users, and shall not provide minors with services that may induce addiction.
Chapter VI — Legal Liability
Article 21 — Where a network product or service provider, in violation of the provisions of these Regulations, fails to fulfill its obligations for the protection of minors, the relevant competent departments shall order correction within a specified period, issue a warning, and may impose a fine in accordance with the law. Where the circumstances are serious, an order to suspend relevant business operations, suspend business for rectification, close the website, or revoke the business license may be imposed.
Article 22 — Where a network product or service provider, in violation of the provisions of these Regulations, infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of minors, it shall bear civil liability in accordance with the law. Where the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Article 23 — Where a parent or other guardian fails to fulfill guardianship responsibilities in accordance with the law, resulting in harm to minors from the network, the relevant authorities shall provide education and admonishment.
Chapter VII — Supplementary Provisions
Article 24 — These Regulations shall apply to the protection of minors in cyberspace by social organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and other organizations not specifically mentioned in these Regulations.
Article 25 — These Regulations shall take effect on January 1, 2024.
Disclaimer: This English translation is provided for informational and reference purposes only. It is not an official translation and has no legal effect. The original Chinese text of the Regulations shall prevail in all legal matters. Network product and service providers, parents, guardians, and other stakeholders should consult qualified legal professionals for advice on specific minor protection compliance matters. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, no warranty is given as to the completeness or accuracy of this translation. Dan Young Business Consultancy assumes no liability for any errors, omissions, or reliance on this translation.
