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China: cyberbullying law for schools
Bottom line for counselors: Schools must have anti-bullying rules, and those rules cover online bullying. A regulator can order harmful posts taken down. Serious online abuse can be a crime.
Last verified: checked against official sources on 11 November 2026.
Country
China
Child protection law makes schools prevent bullying and bans cyberbullying of minors; phones are kept out of classrooms.
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One point for each of the seven questions answered yes, half a point for partly. Where a rule is set nationally, the national answer counts. A quick guide, not a legal rating.
- Yes:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
Yes. The Law on the Protection of Minors requires every school to set up a system to prevent and control student bullying.
Legal detail and sources
Article 39 of the Law on the Protection of Minors (revised 2020, in force 1 June 2021) requires schools to educate staff and students about bullying, stop it promptly and inform parents. The Ministry of Education's 2021 Provisions on the Protection of Minors in Schools set out the detailed steps. Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (appinchina.co), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- Yes:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Yes. The law forbids insulting, slandering or threatening minors online, and lets children and parents ask platforms to delete, block or unlink harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
Article 77 of the Law on the Protection of Minors. Platforms that receive such a notice must act promptly. Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (appinchina.co), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- Yes:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. The Cyberspace Administration of China oversees platforms. Since August 2024 they must detect and remove 'cyberviolence information' and give minors priority protection.
Legal detail and sources
Provisions on the Governance of Cyberviolence Information, in force 1 August 2024. A draft Anti-Cyberviolence Law was published for public comment on 29 July 2026. Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (China Law Translate and CMS), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No social media minimum age, but platforms must offer a 'minor mode' and limit use by minors, and need a guardian's consent to process the data of children under 14.
Legal detail and sources
Regulations on the Protection of Minors Online (in force 1 January 2024) and the Personal Information Protection Law.
- Yes:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Yes. Since 2021, Ministry of Education rules keep phones out of primary and secondary classrooms. Students may bring one only with a parent's written request and must hand it in.
Legal detail and sources
Some cities, such as Zhengzhou, have since written school phone bans into local law. Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (China Law Translate), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Yes. Serious online insult and defamation are crimes, and 2023 judicial guidance tells courts to punish cyberviolence severely, especially against minors.
Legal detail and sources
Criminal Law Articles 246 (insult and defamation) and 253-1 (personal information); Guiding Opinions on Punishing Cyber Violence (2023).
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. Schools must train staff to prevent and handle bullying under the law and the 2021 school protection provisions.
Legal detail and sources
Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (appinchina.co), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
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