A few years ago, China implemented regulations, including imposing limits on livestreaming by children and eventually turned its eye on the time they spend on their smartphones. The country's internet regulator has recently proposed that smartphones, apps and app stores should have a built-in “minor mode.” This mode would restrict how long minors can use their phones, the content they consume, and when they can use these platforms. This proposal is now open for public comment. This move would increase the government's efforts to monitor and manage children’s online activities, which are seen as negative influences.

According to the proposal, younger children less than eight years old would have a maximum of just 40 minutes of screen time per day - an amount that would gradually increase until reaching two hours for the age group 16 to 18. Moreover, the modes for different age groups should also vary their content. For instance, minors younger than three should be shown nursery rhymes and parent-watch programs. Those in the age group 8 to 12 should be exposed to videos about life skills, general knowledge, age-appropriate news and positive-guidance entertainment content.

Children would have the option to choose whether to use minor mode but it would default on whenever a smartphone is first turned on or set up. As some smartphones and apps already offer modes to limit use by children, critics argue that China's proposal merely adds an additional layer of parental control. Barry Ip, a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire in Britain said that China’s plan just adds an extra layer to the initiative already taken by the tech companies to protect minors against harmful digital content.

This new proposal builds upon suggestions by China's internet regulator that video and livestreaming apps create systems to curb potential addiction among youngsters. High-tech challenges are there for sure. For example, when”youth mode” is turned on, some apps show no content or videos that are overly monotonous and dry. Furthermore, some apps that claimed to suggest children different videos according to their age were often found to be showing equal content with no difference.

There is a high level of concern over this proposal, centered on how such measures will be enforced, says Sun Sun Lim from Singapore Management University. The move has attracted mixed reactions online, with some expressing concerns that this might be an attempt to control further, what people, especially children, can see on the internet. Critics question who will judge and decide what is suitable content for a particular age group. Others see this as the authorities addressing the worries parents have about their children’s smartphone use. There is praise for the move also, from those who worry about the negative impact of uncontrolled internet access on the young population.

The responses have been varied, with some people viewing the approach as overly protective and questioning why children are spending significant amounts of time on their phones. Others suggest that this method of treating young people as infants might lead to people growing up as "adult babies". Some netizens have proposed that instead of being so strict and controlling, government should focus on developing cultural and recreational projects fit for children or legislate laws to provide parents with more time to spend with their children.