CAC publishes draft State Council rules on healthy/safe internet use by minors (18 Sep 2026)

Xinhua’s republication of the Cyberspace Administration notice 关于《国务院关于保障未成年人健康安全使用网络的规定（征求意见稿）》公开征求意见的通知, opened 20 September 2026, is stamped 18 September 2026 17:14:10 and sourced to 中国网信网. Comments are invited through email or post with a deadline of 17 October 2026. The attached text is a 征求意见稿 (draft for comment), not a final State Council regulation.

Game-relevant draft clauses (observation)

Article 5 would require network-service providers that offer the following to users under 16 to do so through minors mode, including: online audio/video; livestream services other than livestream publishing; online game services; network social services; AI services that may affect minors’ cognition; and other services with important impact on minors.

Article 4 would bar several service types for minors (with limited exceptions), including stranger social networking, virtual kinship/partner services, addiction-inducing services, and livestream publishing for under-16s.

Article 12 would assign the national press and publication department to lead organisation of minors’ online-game addiction prevention, and would require game services for minors to follow the Minors Network Protection Regulations and that department’s game-management rules.

Article 25 leaves the effective date blank (“自2026年 月 日起施行”). Do not treat any blank month/day as live law.

What this does not establish

Download the draft card. Monitor for a final State Council promulgation before changing live creatives or product flows solely on this draft.

Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.