New law aims to protect kids from bullying and Internet addiction

Shanghai will step up efforts to protect minors from Internet addiction and bullying at school.

The city's revised juvenile protection law will take effect on Tuesday, involving a wide range of areas such as families, schools, cyberspace, society and government, the city's civil affairs authorities said on Monday.

To crack down on Internet addiction, the law specifies rules for Internet product and service providers to ensure healthy access for their youngest users, forming a chain from education and guidance to prevention and intervention.

Internet businesses are now required to tailor-make their products and services for juveniles by introducing functions to limit their time spent, access and consumption on websites.

They're also required to remove, block or correct content, functions or user rules considered to be "harmful to the physical and mental health of juveniles" and report to the authorities.

"Internet platforms widely accessed by minors will be targeted to make operators fully aware of the 'bottom line' of juveniles' information management and create a green Internet surfing environment for them," said Feng Wei, a councilor for Shanghai's cyberspace regulator's Internet management department.

The city's education commission said it has conducted faculty training at primary and middle schools to detect bullying and form a long-term mechanism to prevent and handle such incidents.

The city has also tightened up management on emerging businesses targeting minors, such as jubensha (live-action role-play games), officials said.

Jubensha has become very popular with young Chinese people.