BEIJING: The number of underage internet users in China hit 191 million in 2021, leading to an internet penetration rate of 96.8 percent among Chinese minors, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The report, jointly issued by the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee and the China Internet Network Information Center, found that the gap in internet penetration rate of the group between urban and rural areas was basically bridged in 2021. China’s cyber security has seen continuing improvement, with the proportion of cyber security incidents involving minors decreased compared with 2020, according to the report, which also added that video platforms have become an important source of information for minors. The report covers students from primary, junior high, senior high, and secondary vocational schools in 31 provincial-level regions.
Meanwhile, China will from tomorrow enforce a new law on fighting telecom and online fraud as part of efforts to build an industry-wide and whole-of-society system to prevent and combat such crimes. The new law was passed at a legislative session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee in September 2022. The new law stipulates that police departments should work with competent government departments and businesses to put in place a fraud warning and dissuading system, while also taking timely actions to dissuade potential victims from falling into telecom and online fraud traps. –Agencies
