China is trying to take a big step to prevent and combat the negative consequences that excessive exposure to smartphones can have on children and teenagers. The Cyberspace Administration of China's project proposes to limit the time they can use their devices per day.
And the proposed rules are strict, setting a time limit of only 2 hours a day for those under 18. And this time is even less depending on the age of the user.
The bill is not exactly a surprise to the Chinese, as the country already has rules limiting the time children and young people can spend playing online. But it still needs to be approved and more information on its implementation needs to be clarified.
What the draft law proposes for each age group
The draft of the Cyberspace Administration of China determines different time limits for each age group, as follows:
- 16 to 17 year olds: only 2 hours of use per day.
- Children from 8 to 15 years old: only 1 hour of use per day
- Children under 8 years old: only 40 minutes of use per day.
Another concern relates to the use of smartphones at night. To this end, the bill prohibits the use of smartphones between 10 pm and 6 am.
There are also other rules regarding the content that can be consumed according to the age of each user. While those over the age of 12 will be able to access news and educational content, children under the age of three will only be able to consume music and other audio material.
The bill also establishes exceptions for emergencies or use in educational contexts.
How the bill should be implemented
The information we have so far is that, if the bill comes into force, smartphones will need to undergo modifications to include parental control and access.
However, there are still many questions as to how the large companies responsible for smartphones will act within the new rules. Should the devices include an automatic disconnection mechanism after the permitted period of use? Should parents be responsible for this control? How will this be monitored?
Another sector that could be greatly affected if the rules come into force is precisely the apps and games market. Developers such as ByteDance (responsible for TikTok) and game companies will have to adapt to produce content that complies with the new rules.
Tips for the use of the phone by children and young people
In 2019, the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP) launched a guidance manual on Health in the Digital Age. Among the guidelines are:
- Children under 2 years of age should not be exposed to screens, even passively.
- For children aged 2 to 5 years, the maximum exposure to screens should be 1 hour per day, with supervision
- For children aged 6 to 10 years, screen exposure should not exceed 2 hours per day, with supervision.
- For young people aged 11 to 18, screen time should be a maximum of 3 hours per day.
- No screens during meals and 1 to 2 hours before bedtime.
In addition to giving advice on how families can set these limits and supervise screen use, the document also lists some of the main problems of excessive use of these devices. Some of them are: mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, attention deficit, sleep disorders, eating disorders, sedentary lifestyle, body image and self-esteem disorders, risk of exposure to inappropriate content, among others.
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