15,000 Accounts Suspended in First Half Alone... Chinese TikTok Douyin Bans Live Streaming for Users Under 16

"Chinese Youth Spend Up to Three Hours Online Daily"
"40% of Teen Users Access via Parents' Accounts"

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has banned live streaming appearances by users under the age of 16.

According to multiple Chinese media outlets including Jiemian News and Huanqiu Wang on July 4, Douyin recently announced new regulations prohibiting live streaming by minors under 16 years old. Teenagers aged 16 to 18 must obtain written consent from their guardians to host live broadcasts. If users violate these rules, their accounts will lose live streaming privileges.

The reason Douyin introduced these regulations is that creating a healthy online environment for minors in China has become increasingly important. Huanqiu Wang reported that authorities will focus on cracking down on acts such as exploiting minors’ live streams for commercial gain or inducing minors to receive rewards.

According to a Douyin Live representative, 15,000 accounts were suspended in the first half of this year alone due to youth-related payment violations. In addition, the live streaming privileges of 8,441 minors who impersonated adults to broadcast were revoked. Another 372 accounts that used images of minors for commercial purposes were indefinitely suspended.

According to the “2024 Summer Internet Usage Survey Report on Minors” released by the Douyin Security Center, minors’ daily internet usage is mostly concentrated within three hours. Notably, 40% of minors watch live streams or play games using their parents’ accounts.

This is not the first time Douyin has imposed restrictions on youth usage. In 2023, Douyin introduced a “Youth Mode” to address content addiction among minors. This mode deactivates the app during certain hours and limits Douyin usage to a maximum of 40 minutes per day. It also disables live streaming and donation features. Additionally, Douyin announced rules prohibiting the upload of videos showing minors smoking or driving cars. Videos related to school violence are also banned. Chinese media have emphasized that parents are encouraged to activate “Youth Mode” when their children use their phones.

Such restrictions on minors’ use of social networking services (SNS) appear to be a global trend. In April, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that minors must obtain parental permission to host live streams on Instagram. Under Meta’s policy, users under 16 cannot use Instagram’s live streaming feature without parental consent. This is to protect minors from violence, including verbal abuse, that may occur during live broadcasts.

Australia has announced that it will legally ban SNS usage by those under 16 years old starting at the end of this year. In November 2024, the Australian parliament passed a bill imposing fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 45.1 billion won) on platforms such as Facebook and TikTok if minors under 16 create accounts. This is the world’s first law to completely ban minors’ use of social media, regardless of parental consent.