TikTok limits younger users to 40 minutes a day in China

Following the stepped up efforts to protect minors from the internet’s risks by the Chinese Government, TikTok created a new app for its younger audience. The new app, called Xiao Qu Xing or “Little Fun Star,” offers a personalized feed of short videos in areas ranging from science to literature and art history.

Users are allowed to like clips but not upload or share them. This youth mode limits daily usage time to a maximum of 40 minutes for those aged under 14, while banning them from accessing the app from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. With this new set of restrictions, Chinese authorities want to tackle addiction to online devices.

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-20/bytedance-s-new-tiktok-for-chinese-kids-sets-strict-user-limits

China passes sweeping data privacy law, to go into effect Nov. 1

The law, which is one of the most stringent in the world on personal data security, will make it more difficult and expensive for Chinese tech companies to acquire and utilise customer data. The complete wording of the final law has yet to be disclosed, but according to Xinhua, it will provide users the ability to turn off targeted advertising. It could lead to a ban on tailored advertisements.

Link: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/china-passes-sweeping-data-privacy-law-that-goes-into-effect-nov-1/

You Can Now Use All Links on WeChat!

Tencent said on Friday that users can access external links in the one-to-one chat scene after upgrading to the WeChat latest version of ,  because Chinese industry authorities ordered internet leaders including Alibaba and ByteDance to open up their platforms to each other.

On the premise of ensuring information security, users can access external links in the one-to-one chat and it will also establish an external link complaint portal, which allows users to report illegal external links. Continue to develop group links and provide users with discretion but now Tiktok and Taobao can not jump directly in the service account article.

Tencent also stated that it will actively cooperate with other internet platforms to jointly implement the special guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explore the technical possibilities of smoothly using WeChat services on other platforms, and achieve further interconnectivity.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2BPntlnbCy-OLeyXzyUSHw