A recent report put the number of juveniles in China with access to the internet at 169 million, of which 30 percent were once exposed to illegal online information, the People's Daily reported on Wednesday.
The report said that the number of China's juvenile netizens has reached 169 million, which accounts for nearly 94 percent of all minors. The rate is much higher than that of all age brackets - 57.7 percent - in the country, the People's Daily reported.
The report also shows that nearly 16 percent of Chinese juvenile netizens experienced cyberbullying, cyber harassment, and personal information exposure.
Over one third were once exposed to illegal online information, such as violence, gambling, drugs, and eroticism.
However, only 15 percent of the respondents had ever sought legal advice or service to protect themselves on the internet, according to the People's Daily.
China should come up with a legal framework to protect minors and strengthen supervision on internet platforms to deal with an unhealthy internet environment. China should also enhance education on cyber security for young Chinese, Qin An, head of the Beijing-based Institute of China Cyberspace Strategy, told the Global Times.
"It is not something that only happens in China. The global society should work together on cyber security for young people to build 'a community of shared future in cyberspace,'" said Qin.
China's top legislature passed a cyber security law in November 2016 that was enforced on June 1, 2017.
The law says that the country shall punish activities that damage the physical and mental health of minors using the network, and provide a safe and healthy network environment.
The survey was jointly conducted by the Communist Youth League of China and the China Internet Network Information Center among 31,158 students from elementary to high school at 31 administrative divisions in China, according to the People's Daily.
