China’s Grip Further Tightens On Youths: Children Limited In Watching, Supporting Streamers

Culture

from the squeeze-harder dept

China’s longstanding war on the internet, especially relating to children’s use of it, continues. Readers here will be well aware of the plethora of actions taken by China over the years to limit what its residents can see and do with the internet. From the Great Firewall of China to the country’s more targeted approach at limiting how much and when children can play online video games, all of this dovetails nicely with Beijing’s larger goals of tamping down on undesirable content and the erosion of any sign of democracy within its sphere of control. The toll this regulatory destruction has taken on the gaming industry in China is nearly too great to be believed.

And now China is setting its sights on another popular corner of the internet marketplace: content streamers. The country recently announced changes to how streaming services and streamers must operate, specifically in terms of limiting how and how often minors can interact with online streamers.

1) Viewers under the age of 18 will no longer be able to “tip,” a practice where those watching a broadcast are able to send small amounts of money, usually in exchange for a spoken or text acknowledgement of their contribution.

2) Anyone watching livestreamed content via a kid’s account will have all streams locked out after 10pm, and those responsible for creating content will “need to strengthen the management of peak hours for such shows.”

What’s the point of all this? Well, a couple of things. First, China’s stated goal in this further tightening of internet restrictions is supposedly to combat “chaos” occurring on the internet. What chaos, you ask? Well, almost certainly this has to do with tamping down the rise of popular personalities on Chinese streaming services that have, or could, build up huge followings and then suddenly say something “subverssive” about China’s government. Authoritarians, after all, don’t typically like a popularity contest. Keeping children, the bulk consumers of streaming services like this, from supporting streamers limits anyone’s opportunity to build a living that way.

As for the limitation on watching streamers at night, well, this follows right along with the limitation of online gaming in the evenings as well. Perhaps China thinks it can squeeze more educational production out of kids by making them go night-night at 10pm. Perhaps this is just a bit more control over culture, serving as a reminder of Beijing’s total authority over its people. On this, we can only speculate.

But raging against modernity isn’t a long term solution. Not even for a government as brutal as China’s.

Filed Under: children, china, internet, streamers