CAC opens comments on a 25-article minors rule

On 18 September 2026 at 17:00 Beijing time, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published a draft State Council regulation for comment. Its title translates as "Provisions of the State Council on Ensuring Minors' Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet (Draft for Comment)". The translation is ours. The draft has 25 articles.

The CAC takes comments until 17 October 2026. People can email weibao@cac.gov.cn or write to the CAC Cyberspace Rule of Law Bureau in Beijing. The effective date in Article 25 is blank.

Chat, companion and app-store providers serving minors

The draft would place duties on these groups:

  • Articles 4 to 9 set duties for network service providers of every type.
  • Device makers must build minor-mode linking, one-tap switching, exit checks, anti-bypass controls and time limits into smart devices (Article 10).
  • App distribution platforms must review apps for age fit and restrict downloads that do not fit the user's age (Article 10).
  • Device makers and app platforms must also follow Articles 4 and 5 (Article 10).
  • Platforms with very large numbers of minor users must file their minor mode with the national CAC through the provincial office. They must also submit usage reports (Article 12).
  • Mobile handsets will face minor-mode checks in telecom network access licence testing (Article 12).

Draft bans virtual partners and moves AI into minor mode

Article 4 lists services that providers must not offer to anyone under 18. The list includes:

  • stranger social networking, except for 16 and 17 year olds whose main income is their own labour;
  • "virtual intimacy services such as virtual relatives and virtual partners" (虚拟亲属、虚拟伴侣等虚拟亲密关系服务, translation ours);
  • services that induce addiction or may seriously harm minors' health;
  • livestream publishing for users under 16.

Article 5 requires minor mode for users under 16 on several service types. One category is "AI services that may affect minors' cognition" (可能影响未成年人认知的人工智能服务, translation ours). Online audio and video, livestreams other than livestream publishing, games and social services are also on the list.

Article 6 requires age identification. Providers can use legal ID and the national network identity service. They can also use distributed digital identity, one-time face checks that store no data, and behavioural signals. Article 7 requires providers to intervene when a minor shows signs of self-harm or suicide. They must contact a guardian or emergency contact.

Article 8 requires algorithm review and science and technology ethics review. It bans algorithm models that induce "emotional dependence, addiction and excessive spending" among minor users (translation ours). Article 24 lets the CAC and other State Council departments change the lists in Articles 4 and 5.

Blank start date and undefined AI scope

  • The draft does not define "AI services that may affect minors' cognition". The text gives providers no test for which chatbots or tutors fall inside it.
  • Article 25 leaves the effective date blank. No transition period appears in the text.
  • The text does not name specific companion apps or AI products.
  • This is a comment draft. The State Council must still adopt a final version.

Penalties under Article 18 cover breaches of Articles 4, 5, 6(1), 7(3), 9(1) and 11(1). Regulators can confiscate illegal gains. If gains reach RMB 1 million, the fine is one to ten times the gains. Otherwise the fine is RMB 100,000 to 1 million. Responsible managers face RMB 10,000 to 100,000. Serious cases can lead to suspension, closure or loss of a licence. Article 20 lets cyberspace authorities fine breaches of Article 10 or the Article 12 filing rules RMB 100,000 to 1 million.

Map companion features before the 17 October deadline

  • AI companion and role-play providers with users in China should list every feature that simulates a relative or partner. Plan to block those features for all users under 18.
  • Chatbot and tutoring providers should decide whether their product "may affect minors' cognition". Prepare a minor mode for users under 16.
  • Product teams should audit recommendation and engagement models for emotional-dependence and spending triggers.
  • Legal teams can file comments by email to weibao@cac.gov.cn before 17 October 2026.