Jim McMahon/Mapman®

China is sending a message to its young people: Put down those phones! 

The Chinese government has proposed limiting people under age 18 to two hours or less of phone use per day. All mobile devices, apps, and app stores would automatically shut off after a certain amount of time. For kids between ages 8 and 16, that limit would be 60 minutes. Screens would be inaccessible to all young people from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The proposal also calls for limiting what kids and teens can see on their devices. Those ages 12 to 16 would get educational and news content. 

The government says its goal is to prevent young people from becoming addicted to screens. But China also has a history of tightly regulating technology use. In 2021, it restricted people under 18 to three hours of video gaming a week—and only on weekends.