China turns on ‘minors mode’ that ensures kids only see wholesome socialist content online

Content players and smartphone makers made it happen six months after regulator floated the idea

China has flicked the switch on ‘minors mode’, a subset of its internet in which under-18s will only see wholesome content.

Regulator the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) delivered a spec for minors mode last year, and called for device manufacturers, developers and content providers to work together on a system that meant kids use of the internet could be controlled so they only see age-appropriate material.

The proposal called for kids to see different stuff as they age. The CAC wanted toddlers to be able to access songs and audio content to stop them turning into video zombies. The regulator wanted twelve-to-sixteen-year-olds to get news tuned to their cognitive capacity, wholesome entertainment news, and other material that promotes core socialist values.

Beijing’s call for its tech industry to deliver was heeded – at speed – because minors mode was launched on April 29th.

As explained in a CAC announcement, new smartphones from Xiaomi, Honor and vivo come with minors mode loaded, while Huawei, OPPO and ZTE will deliver it in an OS update.

Big players in fields including short videos, social networking, e-commerce, and education have signed up for minors mode and will only serve appropriate content. They’ve apparently pledged to not just keep kids away from online nasties, but to develop content for minors.

Parents can invoke minors mode with a single click and set usage time limits. Devices set to minors mode will even remind users to take breaks, and collect stats so parents can make sure their offspring are surfing the web in an age-appropriate and socialist fashion.

Plenty of parents around the world wouldn’t mind something like minors mode, and some online services have already delivered just-for-kids offerings like Google SafeSearch, Spotify kids, and Instagram’s Teen Accounts.

Governments outside China have tried to make the internet safer for kids, with instruments like the Online Safety Acts introduced by Australia and the UK. It’s debatable if those laws have made a big difference, as Australia is now moving to a ban on social media for under-16s and UK police recently called for similar action. ®