Internet campaign targets child abuse

Online predators in the cross hairs as top regulator seeks to clean up cyberspace

People who make use of the internet to sexually assault children have been named as major targets of a recently launched campaign.

Those who entice children to hold nude chats online or take naked photos or videos of themselves by pretending to be their friends or claiming to be talent scouts looking for child stars have been targeted by China's top internet regulator in a campaign.

Those who send pornographic images to juveniles or use dirty language while communicating with them online are also targets, as are internet users who post or comment on obscene content on child-related accounts or websites, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China.

It said that the campaign, which began on Tuesday and will last two months, aims to give children sufficient protection by responding to prominent internet issues concerning minors, and clean up the online environment.

In addition to policing the sexual abuse of children in cyberspace, the administration requires internet bodies across the country to focus on cyberbullying, online fraud and online violence during the campaign.

"Some people have been found to have spread violent content to juveniles through video clips or comic book adaptations, while some have been discovered to have slandered minors by spreading rumors or faking their photos," it said, adding that such problems demand attention.

Calling for tightened supervision on apps and websites to check whether they mislead juveniles to consume by using algorithms or making them become addicted online, the administration also urged cyberspace agencies to figure out who illegally rents or sells adult online game accounts to minors.

In China, with the use of real-name verification, children's access to certain platforms such as online gaming, is time-restricted.

The administration added that further action and supervision need to be enforced on new technologies that have enabled some to generate pornographic images using artificial intelligence or defraud children by tricking them into revealing their personal information online.

Online accounts will be barred from posting, or be blacklisted if they are discovered to be engaged in any of the aforementioned behaviors, and their actions will also be made public by cyberspace departments, it added.

The revised Law on the Protection of Minors, which came into effect on June 1, 2021, has a special chapter on online protection, requiring families, schools and social institutions to take preventive actions to stop the internet from causing physical or mental harm to youngsters.

In August 2021, the National Press and Publication Administration issued a regulation clarifying that all online game service providers can only allow minors to play between 8 pm and 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with the real-name registration of users.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn