(Yicai) May 29 — The Beijing Internet Court, which deals with internet and intellectual property rights disputes, has handled nearly 700 cases
of excessive online games and livestreaming-related spending by minors in the past three years.
The cases show a trend where younger consumers keep spending significant amounts online, with the average per case amount exceeding CNY80,000 (USD11,105), Jiang Ying, president of the Beijing Internet Court, said at a press conference yesterday. The biggest case topped CNY3.1 million (USD430,300), Jiang added.
Established in 2018, the Beijing Internet Court is the first specialized court in China to handle cases related to minors’ online consumption. Although most online platforms have implemented technical measures to restrict spending by children, some are just superficial and have not effectively prevented the problem.
For example, a minor charged more than CNY40,000 in just one night while playing a game in one of the cases, while a livestreamer deceived another child to gift CNY80,000, Jiang pointed out.
The court has released guidelines to promote online literacy among minors to prevent such cases, Jiang said. These guidelines remind parents to help their children form a rational consumption mentality, clearly define internet usage time, content access permissions, and device usage rules, and cultivate self-management awareness, Jiang added.
Parents should ensure proper management of online account security, regularly check account activity, and fully utilize minor modes to set spending limits, Jiang stressed.
Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev