Yesterday, the second meeting of the Standing Committee of the 16th Municipal People's Congress was held, which heard and deliberated a report on the revision of the Beijing Regulations on the Protection of Minors (Second Deliberation Draft of the Revised Draft) (hereinafter referred to as the "Second Deliberation Draft of the Revised Draft"). From the perspectives of highlighting the protection of minors' physical and mental health, strengthening responsibility for online protection, and improving the work system, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft provides for specific work on the protection of minors. For example, in terms of school protection, the second draft of the revised draft adds a provision that schools and kindergartens may not arrange for minors to participate in commercial activities, and must not market or require minors and their guardians to purchase designated goods and services. In response to the general concern of society on the protection of minors online, the Second Deliberation Draft of the Revised Draft contains detailed provisions on issues involving minors such as online games, online live streaming rewards, algorithm recommendations, online education, and prevention of online violence.
Schools shall not arrange for minors to participate in commercial activities
On the whole, the second deliberation draft of this revised draft further accurately grasps the goals, principles and directions of the protection of minors, further highlights the subjects, contents and objectives responsible for the ideological and moral construction of minors, follows the principles and concepts of the uninsured law, and supplements the six specific requirements for handling matters involving minors. The second draft of the revised draft proposes that the handling of matters involving minors should meet six specific requirements: special and priority protection should be given to minors; Respect for the human dignity of minors; Protect the privacy and personal information of minors; Adapt to the laws and characteristics of the healthy physical and mental development of minors; Listen to minors; Protection combined with education.
The second reading draft of the revised draft actively responds to social concerns and highlights the protection of minors' physical and mental health. The second deliberation draft of the revised draft proposes to refine the main responsibility of guardians for family education, adopt scientific methods and methods to educate, influence and protect minors, and encourage family members living together to learn family education knowledge and participate in family education guidance and practical activities.
In terms of school protection, the second draft of the revised draft proposes that schools and kindergartens should establish and improve campus safety management systems, implement measures such as daily inspections, regular inspections, and technical prevention monitoring, and strengthen the management of safety and security, site facilities, food safety, school bus operation, student dormitories, and cultural and sports activities. The education, teaching, and living facilities, sanitary environment and conditions of schools and kindergartens, as well as the food, medicine, clothing, teaching aids, tableware, sports equipment and other study, daily life and activity supplies provided for minors, shall comply with relevant standards.
In order to respond to emergencies, prevent and control student bullying, and prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment of minors, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft proposes that schools and kindergartens shall, as needed, formulate plans for responding to emergencies and accidental injuries such as natural disasters, accidents, and public health incidents, equip corresponding facilities and regularly conduct necessary drills. Schools shall establish systems for the prevention and control of student bullying, carry out education and training on the prevention and control of student bullying for teaching staff, students, and so forth, and promptly stop and handle student bullying. Schools and kindergartens shall establish work systems for preventing sexual assault and harassment of minors, and promptly employ relevant protective measures for minors who have suffered sexual assault or harassment. The Second Reading Draft of the Revised Draft also adds provisions that schools and kindergartens must not arrange for minors to participate in commercial activities, and must not market or require minors and their guardians to purchase designated goods and services.
Regarding the labor protection of minors, the second reading draft of the revised draft has also been regulated. This includes that no organization or individual may recruit minors under the age of 16, except as otherwise provided by the State. Commercial entertainment venues, bars, Internet access service business venues, and other places that are not suitable for minors' activities must not recruit minors who have reached the age of 16. Units and individuals recruiting minors who have reached the age of 16 shall implement State regulations on the type of work, working hours, labor intensity and protective measures, and must not arrange for them to engage in excessively heavy, toxic, harmful, or other labor that endangers the physical and mental health of minors or dangerous operations.
Do not push information that induces bad habits
Cyberspace has become an important part of the environment in which minors grow up. During the investigation, people's congress deputies and all aspects of society paid great attention to issues such as online games, online live broadcast rewards, algorithm recommendations, online education, and the prevention of online violence, and demanded that management and regulation be strengthened. Among them, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft adds the network protection responsibilities of the internet information department and relevant departments, as well as the protection obligations of schools and guardians, to provide a safe online environment for minors.
At the same time, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft provides for the establishment of early warning and prevention mechanisms for online violence by providers of online products and services, and the provision of algorithmic recommendation services to minors. For example, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft proposes that early warning and prevention mechanisms for minors' online violence should be established, emergency protection functions should be established, and where algorithmic recommendation services are provided to minors, minors should be facilitated to obtain information beneficial to their physical and mental health, and information that may affect minors' physical and mental health, such as imitating unsafe behavior, violating social morality, or inducing bad habits, must not be pushed.
With regard to minors' online behavior, the second draft of the revised draft also refines the obligations of providers of online products and services such as online games, online live streaming, online audio and video, online social networking, and online education. For example, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft proposes that online game service providers should classify game products, make age-appropriate reminders, and take measures not to allow minors to be exposed to inappropriate games or game functions. Providers of online education network products and services that target minors shall comply with relevant provisions on content moderation, and must not insert links to online games, and must not push advertisements and other information unrelated to teaching. Online live-streaming training shall set up reasonable time periods and durations to ensure that minors have rest time. Online service providers such as for online games, online live streaming, online audio and video, and online social networking shall improve online community rules and user conventions, guiding and regulating minors' online conduct. Minors must not be provided with cash recharge, online payment and other types of tipping services in violation of regulations.
Online gaming service providers shall require minors to register and log in to online games with their real identity information, and must not provide online gaming services to minors from 22 o'clock each day to 8 o'clock the next day. Online game account rental, sale, and trading services must not be provided to minors by any organization or individual in any form. Online live streaming service providers must not provide online live streaming publisher account registration services for minors under the age of <>; When providing online live streaming publisher account registration services for minors who have reached the age of <>, their identity information shall be verified and the consent of their parents or other guardians shall be obtained.
Incorporate the hotline into the immediate handling system
In terms of improving the work system, the second deliberation draft of the revised draft proposes that the protection of minors is related to thousands of households, involving many departments and fields, and that it is necessary to further coordinate the protection of minors. At the same time, it supplements the responsibilities of municipal and district people's governments and their relevant departments to ensure safety inside and outside campuses.
The second draft of the revised draft also adds content related to the construction of child-friendly cities; Increase measures for cultivating and developing social organizations for the protection of minors, strengthening the establishment of professional teams for social work for minors, and supporting the development of social activities and services conducive to the healthy growth of minors; Clearly include consultations, reports, accusations, and reports accepted by the hotline for the protection of minors into the city's work system for handling complaints immediately. Text/Reporter Jiang Ruojing
(Beijing Youth Daily)