China tells platforms with millions of minors to file within 20 days

China tells platforms with millions of minors to file within 20 days

19 October 2026: The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has started designating online platforms that have very large numbers of minor users, or a significant influence on minors, and has told qualifying providers to assess themselves and submit filing materials within 20 working days of its notice of 19 October. Designated platforms carry heavier duties under China's rules on protecting minors online.

Not yet independently verified. The filing deadline is 20 working days from the notice, which by our count falls around 16 November 2026; the obligations that follow designation are in the designation measures, which we have not read. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Who has to file

The work rests on the Regulations on the Online Protection of Minors and on designation measures that took effect on 1 April 2026. The CAC's guide sets two numerical tests for a platform with a very large minor user base:

• a product or service aimed specifically at minors, with 10 million or more registered users or 1 million or more monthly active users;
• a general service, with 10 million or more registered minor users or 1 million or more monthly active minor users.

A platform can also be designated for "significant influence" on minors, judged on download numbers, user scale or sales volume; how often and how long minors use it and how much they spend; the volume of content involving or aimed at minors; whether it is a leading platform in a minors-related vertical; and whether it has had many minors-related violations in the past three years.

What the filing contains

Providers must send paper copies in triplicate, stamped with the company seal, together with an electronic version on disc, to their provincial cyberspace office, with the envelope marked with the platform's name. The package includes an application, a platform information table, a self-assessment report and an undertaking. The self-assessment has to cover the platform's basic details, user scale and share of minors, an analysis of minors' use, the provider's conclusion on its impact, and the protection measures already in place. Providers answer for the completeness and accuracy of what they submit, and templates are available from local offices.

Why foreign app makers should look

The rules apply to network platform service providers in China, which includes games, video, education and social apps run by foreign companies through local entities or partners. A platform that meets the thresholds but does not file will be told to by the designation advisory committee, so waiting is not an option. Counting 20 working days from 19 October puts the deadline around 16 November; local compliance teams should confirm the date with their provincial office.

Sources

• Cyberspace Administration of China: announcement on designating platforms with very large minor user bases, 19 October 2026