Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a country where the government actually can enact policies in a coherent manner. China, which has already cracked down on video games and imposed limits on live streaming by children, is now proposing regulations to require smartphones, apps, and app stores to build “minor mode” into their products.
“Minor mode” will restrict how long children can spend on their phones and what content they can access. Right now it is a proposal for public comment. The government is convinced that children’s on-line activity needs to be regulated. The restrictions would be tailored to different ages. For example, children younger than 8 would be limited to 40 minutes of smartphone time a day. This makes absolute sense to me.
In the U.S. that could never happen. This is the country that can’t even agree on passing a budget.
See Yan Zhuang and Siyi Zhao, “China Pitches ‘Minor Mode’ for Phones To Cut Down on Children’s Screen Time,” New York Times, (Aug. 5, 2023), p. B-4.
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