Drafted by: Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), for issuance by the State Council. Document No.: Not yet assigned (draft for public comment). Released for public comment September 18, 2026. Comments closed October 17, 2026. The effective date is left blank in the draft (“2026年 月 日”).
DCC note. If adopted, these Provisions would be a State Council administrative regulation, the same rank as the 2024 Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace, and would sit alongside them rather than replace them (Article 12 keeps the Regulations’ online-game regime in place). The second paragraph of Article 12 uses the wording of the Minors Platform Identification Measures: the “network platform service providers with a very large number of minor users and a significant impact on minors” are the platforms identified under those Measures. For what the draft adds and whom it binds, see DCC’s brief The draft State Council Provisions on minors’ internet use.
Rendering notes. 网络直播发布服务 is rendered “live-stream broadcasting services”: going live as a streamer, as opposed to watching streams. 陌生人网络社交服务 is rendered “online social networking services with strangers”; the draft does not define it. 朋友圈 is rendered “friend feeds” (WeChat’s Moments is the best-known example). The CAC’s consultation notice and its Explanation of the draft are translated after the draft text. DCC translation; the Chinese text is authoritative.
Notice on Soliciting Public Comments
Notice of the Cyberspace Administration of China on Soliciting Public Comments on the State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment)
To strengthen the protection of minors online, foster an online environment conducive to minors’ physical and mental health, and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of minors, the Cyberspace Administration of China has, in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and other laws, organized the drafting of the State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment), and hereby solicits public comments on it. Members of the public may submit comments in the following ways:
- By email to weibao@cac.gov.cn.
- By letter to the Bureau of Cyberspace Rule of Law (网络法治局), Cyberspace Administration of China, No. 11 Chegongzhuang Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, postcode 100044, with “Comments on minors’ healthy and safe internet use” (未成年人健康安全使用网络征求意见) written on the envelope.
The deadline for comments is October 17, 2026.
Annexes: 1. State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment)
- Explanation of the State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment)
Cyberspace Administration of China
September 18, 2026
State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment)
Article 1. These Provisions are formulated in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and other laws, in order to strengthen the protection of minors online, foster an online environment conducive to minors’ physical and mental health, and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of minors.
Article 2. These Provisions and the relevant laws and administrative regulations apply to the provision of network services to minors, the research, development, and manufacture of smart terminal products, and the provision of apps to smart terminal users through app distribution platforms, within the territory of the People’s Republic of China.
Article 3. Network service providers, smart terminal product manufacturers, and app distribution platform service providers shall adhere to the principle of the best interests of minors, take full account of the characteristics of minors’ physical and mental development, assess the potential impact on minors on a sound basis, set their target users and manner of service reasonably, and provide a minors’ mode in accordance with these Provisions and the relevant national provisions and standards.
The industrial and supply chains for smart terminal products are encouraged to strengthen cooperation and coordination; to research, develop, and manufacture dedicated smart terminal products that serve minors and suit the patterns and characteristics of minors’ physical and mental development; and to advance the industrialization of dedicated smart terminal products for minors. The research, development, and provision of network technologies and services conducive to minors’ healthy growth are supported, so as to meet minors’ needs for internet use and promote their scientific, civilized, safe, and reasonable use of the internet.
Article 4. Network service providers shall not provide the following network services to minors:
(1) online social networking services with strangers, except where provided to minors aged 16 or above whose main source of livelihood is their own labor income;
(2) virtual intimate relationship services, such as virtual relatives and virtual partners;
(3) network services that induce minors to become addicted, or that otherwise harm or may seriously affect minors’ physical and mental health;
(4) live-stream broadcasting services, where provided to minors under the age of 16;
(5) other network services that laws, administrative regulations, or relevant national provisions specify may not be provided to minors.
Article 5. Network service providers that provide the following network services to minors under the age of 16 shall do so through a minors’ mode:
(1) online audio and video services; online live-streaming services other than live-stream broadcasting services; and online game services;
(2) online social networking services, including but not limited to microblogs, forums and online communities, groups, friend feeds, private messages, and post comments;
(3) artificial intelligence services that may affect minors’ cognition;
(4) other network services that may have a significant impact on minors.
Article 6. Network service providers shall have the capability to identify minor users. They shall, in accordance with law, use a combination of methods such as statutory identity documents, the national network identity authentication public service, distributed digital identity authentication public services, non-storage one-time facial verification, and behavioral feature recognition to improve the accuracy of minor-user identification, and shall take necessary measures to ensure the security of minors’ personal information.
Where a minor who has no or limited capacity for civil conduct obtains a phone card, the minor’s statutory agent shall obtain it on the minor’s behalf, and the telecommunications business operator shall register the minor user’s real identity information in accordance with law.
Article 7. The State encourages and supports the production, reproduction, publication, and dissemination of online information conducive to minors’ healthy growth, so as to foster a clean and wholesome cyberspace and a sound online ecosystem conducive to minors’ healthy growth.
Network service providers shall strengthen their management of information published by users. Where they discover the production, reproduction, publication, or dissemination of online information that harms or may affect minors’ physical and mental health, they shall take corresponding measures to deal with it in accordance with law.
Network service providers shall not present, in minors’ mode, online information that harms or may affect minors’ physical and mental health. Where they discover that a minor user is in an extreme situation that threatens the minor’s life or health, such as self-harm or suicide, they shall take necessary measures to intervene and shall promptly contact the user’s guardian or emergency contact.
Article 8. Network service providers shall perform their obligations for the online protection of minors in accordance with law; establish and improve systems for algorithm mechanism and principle review, science and technology ethics review, information content management, and network and data security management; be equipped with content management technical measures and personnel appropriate to the type and scale of the service and the characteristics of their minor users; and shall not set up algorithmic models that induce emotional dependence, addiction, excessive spending, or the like in minor users.
Article 9. Network service providers shall not provide the network services specified in Article 4 of these Provisions to users who have been verified through real-name verification, or identified, as minors. Where they provide such users with the network services specified in Article 5 of these Provisions, they shall switch the relevant services to minors’ mode in accordance with the provisions.
Network service providers shall provide corresponding appeal channels, promptly accept and verify user appeals, and, for users verified as meeting the conditions required by these Provisions, promptly lift the relevant measures.
Article 10. Smart terminal product manufacturers shall equip smart terminal products with functions such as minors’ mode linkage, one-click switching, verification on exit, anti-circumvention, and management of usage periods, duration, functions, and content. App distribution platform service providers shall fulfil their security management responsibilities for listing review, routine management, emergency response, and the like; shall assess on a sound basis the age range for which an app is suitable, taking into account factors such as the app’s minors’ mode development and filing; shall strictly review apps that apply to be listed or updated in minors’ mode; and shall restrict the downloading and installation of an app where the user does not meet the age for which the app is suitable.
Smart terminal product manufacturers and app distribution platform service providers shall comply with the provisions of Articles 4 and 5 of these Provisions that apply to network service providers and shall, in accordance with the preceding paragraph and the relevant national provisions and standards, set up a minors’ mode and perform the corresponding obligations for the online protection of minors.
Article 11. A minors’ mode shall conform to the relevant national provisions and standards, and shall have functions for effectively identifying online information that harms or may affect minors’ physical and mental health, protecting minors’ rights and interests in personal information, preventing minors’ internet addiction, and making it easier for guardians to perform their guardianship duties.
Innovation in minors’ mode functions is encouraged, as is the building of dedicated content pools to enrich high-quality content that is positive, healthy, uplifting, and wholesome and that meets minors’ intellectual and cultural needs.
The national cyberspace administration, together with the relevant departments of the State Council, shall establish and improve technical standards and specifications for minors’ modes in accordance with the needs of the online protection of minors.
Article 12. The national cyberspace administration shall establish a minors’ mode filing mechanism.
Smart terminal product manufacturers and network service providers that provide a minors’ mode shall file the settings and functions of their minors’ mode with the provincial cyberspace administration. Network platform service providers with a very large number of minor users and a significant impact on minors shall file with the national cyberspace administration through the provincial cyberspace administration, and shall submit a report on the development of their minors’ mode and the use of their services. Cyberspace administrations shall verify filing materials annually.
The telecommunications authority under the State Council shall include the minors’ mode of smart mobile terminals in telecommunications equipment network access license testing, and shall, together with the national cyberspace administration, formulate the network access license test items for the minors’ mode of smart mobile terminals.
The national press and publication authority shall take the lead in organizing the prevention and control of minors’ addiction to online games. The provision of online game services to minors shall comply with the Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace and with the relevant provisions of the national press and publication authority on the administration of online games.
Article 13. Education departments shall guide and support schools in developing minors’ cybersecurity awareness, civility, behavioral habits, and self-protection skills; shall regulate and manage, in accordance with law, the smart terminal products that minor students bring into school; and shall carry out publicity and education on the online protection of minors, including the use of minors’ mode, in a variety of forms.
Article 14. Public security organs shall stop criminal acts that infringe upon minors, and shall crack down in accordance with law on criminal activities involving minors, such as cyber violence, the dissemination of obscene materials, and the infringement of citizens’ personal information.
Article 15. The Communist Youth League, women’s federations, trade unions, disabled persons’ federations, committees for the care of the next generation, youth federations, student federations, and the Young Pioneers, together with other people’s organizations, relevant social organizations, and primary-level mass self-governing organizations, shall work together on educating and guiding minors to use the internet reasonably, promoting minors’ mode, and safeguarding minors’ lawful rights and interests.
Article 16. Schools shall strengthen guidance and training for teachers and improve teachers’ ability to identify minor students’ internet addiction early and intervene; shall regulate and manage, in accordance with law, the smart terminal products that minor students bring into school, and guide students in using minors’ mode. Where a minor student shows a tendency toward internet addiction, the school shall promptly inform the student’s guardian and work with the guardian to educate and guide the student in reasonable internet use.
Article 17. Guardians of minors shall strengthen the building of their family life, family education, and family traditions; improve their own internet literacy and regulate their own internet use; strengthen the education, example-setting, guidance, and supervision of minors’ internet use; and help minors turn on minors’ mode and guide them in using it.
Article 18. For violations of Article 4, Article 5, the first paragraph of Article 6, the third paragraph of Article 7, the first paragraph of Article 9, or the first paragraph of Article 11 of these Provisions, the cyberspace, press and publication, telecommunications, public security, culture and tourism, market regulation, radio and television, and other departments shall, according to their respective duties, order corrections, give a warning, and confiscate illegal gains. Where the illegal gains are RMB 1 million or more, a fine of not less than one time and not more than ten times the illegal gains shall be imposed concurrently; where there are no illegal gains or the illegal gains are less than RMB 1 million, a fine of not less than RMB 100,000 and not more than RMB 1 million shall be imposed concurrently. The directly responsible persons in charge and other directly liable persons shall be fined not less than RMB 10,000 and not more than RMB 100,000. Where corrections are refused or the circumstances are serious, the departments may also order the suspension of the relevant business, suspension of operations for rectification, or closure of the website or app, or revoke the relevant business permit or the business license.
Article 19. For violations of the second paragraph of Article 9 of these Provisions, the cyberspace, press and publication, telecommunications, public security, culture and tourism, market regulation, radio and television, and other departments shall, according to their respective duties, order corrections. Where corrections are refused or the circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than RMB 50,000 and not more than RMB 500,000 shall be imposed, and the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly liable persons shall be fined not less than RMB 10,000 and not more than RMB 100,000.
Article 20. For violations of Article 10 or the second paragraph of Article 12 of these Provisions, the cyberspace administration shall order corrections and give a warning, and may impose a concurrent fine of not less than RMB 100,000 and not more than RMB 1 million, and a fine of not less than RMB 10,000 and not more than RMB 100,000 on the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly liable persons. Where corrections are refused or the circumstances are serious, it may also order the suspension of the relevant business, suspension of operations for rectification, or closure of the website or app, or revoke the relevant business permit or the business license.
Article 21. Other violations of these Provisions shall be handled and penalized by the competent departments in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace, the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, and other laws and administrative regulations.
Where a violation of these Provisions infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of minors and causes personal, property, or other damage, civil liability shall be borne in accordance with law; where it constitutes a violation of public security administration, a public security administration penalty shall be imposed in accordance with law; where it constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law.
Article 22. Where a school violates these Provisions by failing to perform its corresponding duties to protect minors, the education department shall order corrections according to its duties; where corrections are refused or the circumstances are serious, the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly liable persons shall be given sanctions in accordance with law.
Article 23. Where a minor’s guardian fails to perform the guardianship duties under these Provisions or infringes upon the minor’s lawful rights and interests, the residents’ committee, villagers’ committee, or women’s federation of the place where the minor resides, the guardian’s employer, and primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, and other entities in close contact with minors shall, in accordance with law, criticize and educate the guardian, admonish and stop the conduct, urge the guardian to accept family education guidance, and the like.
Article 24. The national cyberspace administration may, together with the relevant departments of the State Council, adjust the types of network services listed in Articles 4 and 5 of these Provisions in a timely manner as needed to ensure minors’ healthy and safe use of the internet.
The provision of network services to minors aged 16 or above through a minors’ mode is encouraged.
Article 25. These Provisions take effect on [day] [month], 2026.
Explanation of the Draft
Explanation of the State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment)
The online protection of minors bears on the nation’s future and the hopes of the Chinese people, and on the happiness and peace of hundreds of millions of families. To strengthen the online protection of minors, foster an online environment conducive to minors’ physical and mental health, and safeguard minors’ lawful rights and interests, the Cyberspace Administration of China, after in-depth legislative research, careful review of practical experience, and extensive consultation, organized the drafting of the State Council Provisions on Ensuring Minors’ Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Public Comment) (the “Draft Provisions”) and is soliciting public comments on it. The relevant matters are explained as follows.
I. Why the Provisions are needed
First, they are an important measure to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the healthy growth of minors. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed the need to “create a clean and upright cyberspace for internet users, especially young people”. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan calls for “strengthening the online protection of minors and expanding online spaces and platforms for educating people”. Formulating the Provisions is an important measure to give deeper effect, through regulations and institutions, to the decisions of the Party Central Committee and to further ensure minors’ healthy and safe use of the internet.
Second, they meet a pressing need to strengthen the online protection of minors. In recent years China has revised or adopted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, the Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace, the Provisions on the Online Protection of Children’s Personal Information, and other instruments, basically forming a system for the online protection of minors. As the internet merges faster with new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data and becomes ever more embedded in minors’ study and daily life, problems such as internet addiction and the spread of illegal and harmful information still require continuing governance. Formulating the Provisions is a pressing need to further strengthen the administration of network services relating to minors, clarify the institutional rules, and tighten the system of protection.
Third, they are an inevitable response to trends in global internet governance. In recent years, and especially since last year, the international community has paid broad attention to ensuring minors’ healthy and safe use of the internet and has enacted a series of related laws, reflecting a common trend in global internet governance toward strengthening the online protection of minors. Introducing “small, fast, and nimble” (小快灵) legislation on the online protection of minors with Chinese characteristics is an inevitable requirement for aligning with current trends in global internet governance and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions.
II. Drafting approach
The Provisions follow this approach. First, upholding the leadership of the Party: taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, implementing the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Party and of all the plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, and thoroughly implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the online protection of minors and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee. Second, a problem-oriented approach: grounded in China’s practice in governing the online protection of minors, responding to new situations and new problems arising in minors’ use of the internet with innovative institutional design, aligning with the relevant laws and regulations, and making the system more systematic, targeted, and effective. Third, coordinated co-governance: setting out coordinated governance requirements for the relevant departments, network service providers, smart terminal product manufacturers, app distribution platform service providers, mass organizations, schools, guardians, and other parties in ensuring minors’ healthy and safe use of the internet. Fourth, upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground: consolidating and deepening the mature institutions in the existing laws and regulations on the online protection of minors, and putting in place refined governance mechanisms for the prominent problems minors currently face in using online products and services.
III. Drafting process
During drafting, the Cyberspace Administration of China, together with the relevant departments, mainly carried out the following work.
First, research and evaluation. It studied platforms’ practice in protecting minors online, the implementation of China’s laws and regulations on the online protection of minors, and the development of minors’ modes on smart terminal products and on apps commonly used by minors, and studied in depth legislative developments on the online protection of minors in major countries and regions. It consulted fully with the relevant bodies and worked out the framework of the regulation and the priorities for institution-building.
Second, drafting. Grounded in China’s circumstances and taking account of global trends in the online protection of minors, it proposed an institutional scheme for the online protection of minors that balances development and security and applies differentiated measures by category; set out the main institutions, such as the scope of network services that may be provided to minors and the development of minors’ modes; and prepared the Provisions (First Draft).
Third, extensive consultation. It sought the views of the relevant central and local bodies, platform enterprises, and experts and scholars, revised and improved the text in light of those views, and, after conducting the relevant legislative assessment in accordance with law, produced the Draft Provisions.
IV. Main contents
The Draft Provisions have 25 articles and mainly provide for the following.
(1) Purpose, basis, and basic principles. They state the legislative purposes of strengthening the online protection of minors, fostering an online environment conducive to minors’ physical and mental health, and safeguarding minors’ lawful rights and interests. They make clear that network service providers, smart terminal product manufacturers, and app distribution platform service providers shall adhere to the principle of the best interests of minors, take full account of the characteristics of minors’ physical and mental development, and provide a minors’ mode in accordance with these Provisions and the relevant national provisions and standards.
(2) Regulating the provision of network services to minors. They make clear that network service providers shall not provide minors with online social networking services with strangers, virtual intimate relationship services such as virtual relatives and virtual partners, and the like, and set out the related exceptions. They provide that network service providers that offer minors under 16 online audio and video services, online live-streaming services other than live-stream broadcasting services, online game services, online social networking services, and the like shall do so through a minors’ mode.
(3) Minor-user identification and rules on information content. They require network service providers to have the capability to identify minor users and to take necessary measures to ensure the security of minors’ personal information, and to take corresponding measures for users who have been verified through real-name verification, or identified, as minors. They make clear that the State encourages and supports the production, reproduction, publication, and dissemination of online information conducive to minors’ healthy growth; require network service providers to strengthen their management of information published by users; and provide that network service providers shall not present, in minors’ mode, online information that harms or may affect minors’ physical and mental health. They make clear that network service providers shall establish and improve systems for algorithm mechanism and principle review, information content management, and the like, and shall not set up algorithmic models that induce emotional dependence, addiction, excessive spending, or the like in minor users.
(4) Requirements for developing minors’ modes. They require smart terminal product manufacturers to equip smart terminal products with minors’ mode linkage, one-click switching, verification on exit, anti-circumvention, and other functions, and make clear that app distribution platform service providers shall fulfil their security management responsibilities. They provide that a minors’ mode shall conform to the relevant national provisions and standards and have functions such as effectively identifying online information that harms or may affect minors’ physical and mental health and preventing minors’ internet addiction. They encourage innovation in minors’ mode functions and the building of dedicated content pools to enrich high-quality content that is positive, healthy, uplifting, and wholesome. They make clear that smart terminal product manufacturers and network service providers that provide a minors’ mode shall file its settings and functions with the provincial cyberspace administration, among other things.
(5) Coordinated co-governance and legal liability. They set out the duties of the national cyberspace administration, the telecommunications authority under the State Council, the national press and publication authority, education departments, public security organs, and others, and make clear that the Communist Youth League, women’s federations, trade unions, disabled persons’ federations, committees for the care of the next generation, youth federations, student federations, and the Young Pioneers, together with other people’s organizations, relevant social organizations, and primary-level mass self-governing organizations, shall work together on the online protection of minors. They set out the obligations of schools and of minors’ guardians, and provide for legal liability, the effective date, and other matters.