China’s cyberspace regulator said on Wednesday that children under the age of 18 should only use phones for two hours. Along with this, smartphone companies should prepare such a mode, so that children cannot use the internet at night. Let me tell you, as soon as the information came out, the shares of technical companies started falling. China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) said it wants smart device providers to introduce a minor mode program that bars users under the age of 18 from using the Internet on mobiles between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The CAC said the proposed reforms would also require providers to fix deadlines. Children in the age group of 16 to 18 years will be allowed two hours per day to use the phone. Also, children aged eight to 16 will be allowed one hour while children under eight will be allowed only eight minutes. However, this proposal has not gone down well with investors.

The CAC presented a draft. He has sought public feedback on this by September 2. After this, shares of Chinese tech companies were seen falling in afternoon trading in Hong Kong. Jia Hailong, a lawyer with Shanghai Shenlun Law Firm, said the rules would create a headache for Internet companies. He said that implementing these rules is not easy. The risk of non-compliance would also be very high.

He said that I believe that in such a situation many Internet companies may consider banning minors from using their services directly. Significantly, the authorities have become increasingly concerned about the increasing Internet use among children and youth in recent years. In the year 2021, the government banned the playing of video games by children under 18 years of age. This was a big blow to gaming giants like Tencent.