China bans kids from using TikTok-like app

369
1
China bans kids from using TikTok-like app

On Oct 5, Bloomberg ByteDance Ltd. introduced a TikTok-like service for China youth that sets strict controls on daily usage after Beijing stepped up efforts to protect the minors from the risks of the internet.

The app, called Xiao Qu Xing or Little Fun Star, is a customized feed of short videos in areas ranging from science to literature and art history. Users are allowed to upload video clips but not share them, while parents can adjust the usage time for their kids to at least 40 minutes per day.

China s government is seeking to implement far-reaching rules on the algorithms technology companies use to recommend videos and other content, while top officials and state media alike have trained their sights on the amount of time people spend on smartphones. Regulators have slashed online gaming time to three hours a week starting this month, triggering concerns that similar rules will be extended to other digital content.

Douyin, TikTok s Chinese twin, upgraded its youth mode last week to limit daily usage to a maximum of 40 minutes for those aged below 14 while banning them from accessing the app from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Xiao Qu Xing was created by ByteDance's educational arm, which later this year shut down a significant part of its operations after Beijing cracked down on the $100 billion after-school tutoring industry.