But don’t worry, folks in the free world, this won’t apply to you! Douyin (Tiktok in China) may restrict what kids see, but Tiktok abroad will still serve up to your tween daughter videos that tell her if she isn’t pretty enough, she might as well kill herself.
China turns on ‘minors mode’ to keep kids safe online
Submitted 2 weeks ago by Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/02/china_minors_mode_enabled/
Comments
klu9@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
WalnutLum@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
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.
This sounds awesome. This isn’t the weird shit like some states in the US have for determining if you can log into porn, or South Koreas weird government-login-page-in-everything scheme, it’s part of the parent’s family plan for their kid they can turn on/off.
I realize there’s worrying undertones (that already exist on the Chinese internet regardless) but the actual delivered feature seems like the ideal for this sort of thing.
xylogx@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Sounds like screentime.
WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Is that an app or what?
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
But who is collecting the stats?
Here are my issues with this:
- The service needs to know if it’s a minor or adult
- Service needs to put that data somewhere, and I highly doubt it’s on the user’s machine
- There’s no way this isn’t tied to the user’s identity
There are internet filters you can buy already that the user controls. Why not just use that?
WalnutLum@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
there are internet filters you can buy
Seems like that’s exactly what this is, it’s a mode that you turn on on the phone and it uses a government supplied list of vetted websites for the kid to visit.
Interestingly the way this feature set reads out is exactly the same way that Nintendo’s parental controls work.
I realize that this being the Chinese government, them keeping usage stats has connotations that go beyond the data itself… But in a country with a more liberal government I’d rather have them keep records of my kids’ internet usage than a private company. The idea being that you can pass protections around that data. (Not that that seems to be stopping the current US government so maybe that’s a pipe dream).
Ideal is, of course, completely on your own hardware (the device or your server at home), but between this and a system where Apple/Google/Nintendo does all this instead I’d prefer the government method.
WalnutLum@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Looking up more information about this I found a much less sensationalized analysis on this from the UofC:
RageAgainstTheRich@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I could have sworn that a few months ago it was on the news that the government restricted all online stuff like video games, to only a few hours a week or something for minors?
WalnutLum@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
I think that was the draft proposal for this.
Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They can’t log on after 8pm or something like that?
Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
This isn’t the weird shit like some states in the US have for determining if you can log into porn
Age gating porn doesn’t sound very weird to me. Methods can be pretty shit though
so parents can make sure their offspring are surfing the web in an age-appropriate and socialist fashion
Imagine if the US did this lmao
sommerset@thelemmy.club 2 weeks ago
US can’t even pass a federal data privacy law
fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
Fuck this
Psythik@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Yeah seriously, China making a smart decision for once? What the fuck? Broken clocks, I suppose.
This needs to be a worldwide thing. We’re raising a generation of idiots because of engagement algorithms. Something needs to be done about it, or we’re going to be in serious trouble once Gen Alpha gets old enough to vote.
bathing_in_bismuth@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
You don’t want kids to research, let’s say controversial, content of CCP wrongs and critism of policies ofc. Totally a smart move
fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
This isn’t for the kid’s benefit you know
underline960@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I see a lot of well-meaning support for this. I can’t help but think there has to be a way to implement these kinds of controls without taking power away from the user.
Like the Fediverse implementing better mod tools rather than expecting Twitter to effectively moderate the internet.
DeathsEmbrace@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Yeah but CCP wouldn’t like this because it faces uncomfortable truths like a controlling dictatorship is the only reason for the firewall.
jimbel@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
I completely agree Internet should be regulated especially for children. Should be done in Europe as well. But of course this regulation should not be misused for propaganda.
shaggyb@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Parents need to do their fucking jobs and keep their shithead kids out of my business.
technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Not to mention parents staying the fuck out of other parent’s business.
Don’t bring state violence down on other people because you don’t want to watch your own damn kids.
jimbel@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Internet is controlled by corporates like meta, Google, tiktok right now. In other words the undemocratic billionaires control the power. And also networks like the Russian bot farms spread fake news and destabilize our society. Parents can not do much about it.
Democracy is doomed if the Internet is not regulated in a way.
DarkCloud@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They probably saw the Russian culture war brain rot play out with American youth and decided to have a circuit breaker.
Behind the Bastards has an episode about how YouTube went right wing to create site engagement and an anger economy, and an episode about Facebook doing thr same for boomers.
Deceptichum@quokk.au 2 weeks ago
They already have the GFW and state control of the media.
andxz@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s not only the US that got hit by that russian campaign to mess with youths and even younger children. Europe for its fair share as well. It also plays into their “oh look at the degenerate west” playbook perfectly.
They’re responsible for so much damage that I have no idea how it’ll end. Not even children with tech savvy parents are immune, as I can attest to myself.
It’s important as fuck to have discussions about bad content to children ass soon as they get any kind of screen available to them, and it should never ever be a babysitter unless it’s under controlled circumstances.
It’s also a good idea to start teaching your children how any tech they use works and what happens under the hood if they’re interested. They’re certainly less likely to get influenced by any bad actors if they know what’s what.
WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
The rest of the world needs to learn from the US’s failure like this ASAP. I think Europe might already be doomed judging by the way the UK and Germany are going, but others might be able to swerve to avoid a fascist future with the right moves.