According to a number of Chinese media, Douyin recently announced a new regulation banning teenagers under the age of 16 from appearing on live broadcasts. Teenagers aged 16 to 18 must obtain written consent from their guardians in order to host live broadcasts. Violation of the regulation will eliminate the right of the account to broadcast live broadcasts.
The reason why Douyin announced the regulation is that it has become more important to create a sound online environment for teenagers (minors) in China. “The use of youth’s live broadcasting for profit or the act of inducing them to provide compensation will be intensively cracked down on,” the Global Network said.
According to a person in charge of Douyin Live, 15,000 accounts were suspended in the first half of this year alone due to juvenile-related payments. The account rights of 8,441 teenagers who impersonated adults and conducted live broadcasting were also revoked. In addition, 372 accounts that used the image of teenagers for profit were suspended indefinitely.
According to the ‘Report on Youth Summer Internet Use (2024)’ released by the Douyin Security Center, adolescents’ daily Internet use time is concentrated within three hours. In particular, 40% of teenagers watch live broadcasts or play games with their parents’ accounts.
This is not the first time that Douyin has restricted the use of teenagers. Douyin launched “Youth Mode” to address the content addiction of minors in 2023. This includes the ability to use Douyin for up to 40 minutes a day as applications are deactivated during certain times. They cannot watch live broadcasts or use sponsorship functions. They also announced a regulation that bans minors from smoking or driving a car. Videos related to school violence are also banned. Chinese media stressed that it is recommended that children use “Youth Mode” when using their parents’ cell phones.
The restriction of adolescents’ use of social networking services (SNS) seems to be a global trend. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said in April that adolescents must first obtain parental permission to broadcast live on Instagram. According to Meta’s policy, users of adolescents under the age of 16 cannot use the Instagram live broadcasting function unless they have parental consent. This is to protect adolescents from violence that may occur during live broadcasts such as verbal violence.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
