TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, announced new measures over the weekend to reduce the screen time of its young users in China. Its social network Douyin will launch a "kids mode" for users aged 14 and under.
This decision follows the movement imposed by the government to limit access to video games by the youngest. Douyin will only be accessible between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. In addition to this restriction, users of "child mode" will only be entitled to 40 minutes of use per day.
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But ByteDance doesn't stop there. Children under 14 will not be able to view all the content they want. A team from Douyin will be responsible for selecting educational videos with scientific experiments, popular content, others presenting cultural exhibitions, history, or "beautiful landscapes across the country", explains the company. on the QQ social network.
Among these novelties, some are not new. In 2018, Douyin launched a few, but did not impose them. In particular, parents could choose hours of use during the week and at weekends. Now, to follow these restrictions automatically, the application invites them to no longer use pseudonyms for their children, and prefer an update with their real name and age.
With authority, the Chinese government is gradually regaining control over the country's large technology companies, especially those thriving on the internet. At the same time, the Communist Party is committed to enforcing strict measures when it comes to minors.
He then tackled the private education sector this summer. Tutoring firms must now register as non-profit associations. “The private education sector has been seriously hijacked by capital,” the Chinese Ministry of Education recently insisted. These companies are also prohibited from giving lessons on weekends, on public holidays, and during vacations.
Anchored in this same desire, the time spent by minors on video games should also be controlled. Thus, since August, minors are limited to three hours per week. These hours can only be used on weekends and public holidays, between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Social networks, education, video games… behind the new rules dictated by the Communist Party, it is above all a new morality and a new behavior that young Chinese will have to follow. While there is certainly some good in reducing their screen time, it remains to be seen how the government, or parents, plan to fill all this new free time.
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