China

China regulates minors' internet and gaming access through a layered regime anchored in the 2020 revision of the Law on the Protection of Minors (Chinese: 未成年人保护法, effective June 1, 2021), which requires online game, livestreaming, audio-video and social platforms to build in time, permission and spending management functions for minors, and bars livestreaming anchor accounts for anyone under 16. The State Council's Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace (Chinese: 未成年人网络保护条例, State Council Order No. 766, effective January 1, 2024) implement a mandatory minor mode across these services with age-tiered spending caps and age-appropriate rating disclosure. The National Press and Publication Administration separately caps minors' online game time at one hour a day, only between 20:00 and 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, under a 2021 notice tied to a national real-name anti-addiction verification system.

National jurisdiction. Reviewed 2026-07-15.

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国家新闻出版署《关于进一步严格管理切实防止未成年人沉迷网络游戏的通知》(NPPA Notice on Further Strict Management to Effectively Prevent Minors from Becoming Addicted to Online Games)

Limits all online game service providers to offering minors no more than one hour of game time per day, only between 20:00 and 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, with no game service to minors at any other time. Requires every online game account to be registered under a real identity linked to the National Press and Publication Administration's national anti-addiction real-name verification system, and bans guest-mode access.

Citation: 国新出发〔2021〕14号 (Guo Xin Chu Fa [2021] No. 14)
Status: In force
Effective date: 2021-09-01
Applies to: Private sector
Age threshold: 18
Verification methods: gov id, digital id
Covered services: Online games distributed in China
Penalties: Regulatory sanctions against noncompliant game operators, including rectification orders and removal from the anti-addiction real-name verification system
Enforcement body: National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA)
Private right of action: no
Source: 国新出发〔2021〕14号 (Guo Xin Chu Fa [2021] No. 14)

未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), Chapter 5 Network Protection, Articles 74-75

Requires providers of online games, livestreaming, audio-video and social networking services to build in time management, permission management and spending management functions for minor users, and requires online game providers to use a unified national electronic identity system to verify that game accounts are registered under the user's real identity, with no game service offered to minors between 22:00 and 08:00.

Citation: 未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), 2020 Revision, adopted 2020-10-17 by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, Arts. 74-75
Status: In force
Effective date: 2021-06-01
Applies to: Private sector
Age threshold: 18
Verification methods: gov id, digital id
Covered services: Online game, livestreaming, audio-video and social networking services accessible to minors in China
Enforcement body: Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and sectoral regulators, including the National Press and Publication Administration for games
Private right of action: no
Source: 未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), 2020 Revision, adopted 2020-10-17 by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, Arts. 74-75

未成年人网络保护条例 (Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace), State Council Order No. 766

Implementing regulation requiring game, livestream, audio-video and social platforms to provide a minor mode limiting usage time, functions and content per national standards, to reasonably cap single and cumulative spending by minors by age band, to prevent traffic-driven inducements such as fan voting campaigns aimed at minors, and to display age-appropriate ratings prominently at download and login.

Citation: 国务院令第766号, 未成年人网络保护条例 (State Council Order No. 766, Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace), Chapter 5, Arts. 39-49
Status: In force
Effective date: 2024-01-01
Applies to: Private sector
Age threshold: 18
Verification methods: self declaration, device signal
Covered services: Online games, livestreaming, audio-video and social networking services
Penalties: Administrative penalties including rectification orders, warnings, fines and suspension of services for noncompliant platforms
Enforcement body: Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and other sectoral departments covering publishing, education, culture and broadcasting
Private right of action: no
Source: 国务院令第766号, 未成年人网络保护条例 (State Council Order No. 766, Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace), Chapter 5, Arts. 39-49

未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), Article 76, livestreaming anchor account age floor

Bars livestreaming service providers from issuing a livestreaming anchor (content creator) account to anyone under 16, and requires providers to obtain a parent or guardian's consent and verify identity before issuing an anchor account to a 16 or 17 year old.

Citation: 未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), 2020 Revision, Art. 76
Status: In force
Effective date: 2021-06-01
Applies to: Private sector
Age threshold: 16
Verification methods: gov id, parental consent
Covered services: Livestreaming platforms operating in China
Enforcement body: Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC)
Private right of action: no
Source: 未成年人保护法 (Law on the Protection of Minors), 2020 Revision, Art. 76