Children paint from nature at a park in Beijing on October 29, 2022. Photo: IC

Beijing's top legislature reviewed on Thursday a draft amendment of the local regulations on minor protection to prevent school bullying and internet addiction, and ban medical cosmetology and tattoo service to minors. 

In order to guarantee the campus security, prevention of school bullying was included in the draft amendment which proposed that schools and kindergarten should safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of underage students and children at school and kindergarten. 

For example, schools and kindergartens should prevent school bullying, prevent, interfere in and correct bad or severely bad behaviors, as well as prevent and deal with sexual assault, sexual harassment and other behaviors that harm the minors' physical and mental health. 

Through instructions and patrolling at schools and kindergartens, the public security department can instruct and supervise the schools and kindergartens to fulfill their safety management obligations and to maintain security and order around schools and kindergartens in accordance with laws. 

The draft amendment also stipulated that medical cosmetology are prohibited from being provided to minors without their guardians' permission. 

Violators will be fined between 10,000 yuan ($1,399.93) and 50,000 yuan and given warnings by health department and related medical practitioners will be ordered to suspend their business for one to six months. 

The draft amendment also prohibit tattoo service to minors and violators will be confiscated of their illegal gains and fined between 10,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan. Those who refuse to correct their wrongdoings or cause serious consequences will be ordered to suspend business for rectification and can be fined from 50,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan. 

Besides, the murder mystery role-playing game, also known as the so-called script murders, and the room-escape game should indicate appropriate age range and operators of unsuitable games to minors should not allow minors to participate. Moreover, such games shall not be provided to minors except on national holidays and summer and winter vocations. 

Meanwhile, e-cigarettes, lotteries shouldn't be sold to minors. 

The draft amendment also proposed to establish a reviewing system on the internet information that might negatively affect or harm minors' physical and mental health, or taking advantage of the internet to conduct illegal and criminal actions against minors. 

In addition, the draft amendment also noted a move to prevent minors from becoming obsessed with internet products and services by setting up related management functions. 

Global Times