China is working to limit children's use of smartphones. According to a report by CNN, the country is trying to inculcate "good morals" and "socialist values" among minors and proposes to limit daily Internet use for children under 18 to two hours per day.
If the proposal issued by the Cyberspace Administration is approved on Wednesday, it will be an expansion of existing measures put forward in recent years, with the aim of limiting children's Internet use and reducing their exposure to "unwanted information".
Under the draft rules, which are open for public discussion until September 2, apps used online by children and teens will be closed automatically when the specified grace period expires. "Age-based content" will also be offered.
Children under the age of eight will only be able to use their phones for 40 minutes a day, while children between the ages of 8 and 16 will get one hour. Teenagers over 16 and under 18 are allowed two hours.
The draft says mobile internet service providers should also create content that "disseminates basic socialist values" and "gives a sense of belonging to the Chinese nation".
China already closely censors the Internet and the media. Every day, an "army of censors" deletes content that gives a negative image of state policy.
Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, the Chinese authorities have strengthened Internet censorship, blocking access to foreign websites such as Facebook and Google.
In 2018 alone, the Chinese authorities closed 26,000 websites, which they described as "illegal", and deleted 6 million comments, according to the New China News Agency.
It also deleted 9,000 accounts of social networks such as WeChat and Weibo, accusing them of spreading "politically harmful" information.