On Saturday, the Chinese government announced a series of changes to how children can access and interact with content online. The National Radio and Television Administration said, “Platforms need to step up controls to prevent underage users from tipping live streamers or becoming a live streamer themselves without guardian consent”.
When Reuters reportthis comes in the form of two policy changes:
1) Viewers under the age of 18 can no longer tip, a practice whereby viewers of a show can send small amounts of money, usually in exchange for verbal or text acknowledgment of their contribution.
2) Anyone watching livestream content through a child account will have all streams blocked after 10pm, and content creators must “strengthen management of peak times for such shows.”
Note that none of this takes place on Twitch or YouTube; Instead, China’s biggest platforms are all local services like Bilibili, Tencent’s Huya & Douyu, and Douyin, which is basically the Chinese version by Tiktok.
These new laws are part of the Chinese authorities’ efforts to combat what they say is “chaos” in the social media and live streaming space, fueled by both the carrot (a promotion of “appropriate and legal content”) and the stick (restrictions like this).
They’re also part of a broader effort by the Chinese government to tighten its control over the entire video game industry; we reported last month