TikTok developer ByteDance introduces time limit for children under 14 in China
The Chinese version of the popular short-form video app TikTok, known as Douyin, will limit users in China under the age of 14 to 40 minutes a day, parent company ByteDance said in a blog post Saturday.
The app's special "children's" mode is in line with the Chinese government's new restrictions on access to video games for younger children. Teenagers under 14 will be able to log into Douyin from 6am to 10pm, but will not be able to use the app outside those times, the company said. The rules will apply to "users authorized by real name" under the age of 14. The company urges parents to help their children go through the authorization process or manually activate "child" mode when prompted by the app.
The Chinese government is focusing on reducing the time Chinese teenagers spend online, which it considers a "spiritual opium". Last month, the National Press and Publication Administration unveiled new rules that limit Chinese citizens under 18 to playing online games only on Fridays, weekends and holidays, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. - effectively 3 hours a week.
ByteDance said the content available to users in "kid-friendly" mode will now include educational content such as "interesting popular science experiments, exhibitions at museums and galleries, beautiful landscapes around the country, explanations of historical knowledge and so on."
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