Ministry of Health and Welfare's Child and Adolescent Law Amendment: A single clause referencing the "Great Firewall" sparks panic, with Legislators Shen Boyang and others urgently intervening

The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s draft amendment to the “Children and Juveniles Welfare and Rights Protection Act” includes terms like “age verification,” sparking public panic over internet real-name systems and restrictions on creative freedom, dubbed the “Internet Great Wall.” In response, Legislators Shen Boyang and Tsai Yi-yu, along with relevant organizations, have urgently intervened for negotiations.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare previews amendments to the Children and Juveniles Act, Article 59 strengthens online content protection

Recently, Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a draft revision of the “Children and Juveniles Welfare and Rights Protection Act,” with Article 59 drawing attention. The concern stems from terms like “age verification” and “restriction of website access” lacking clear definitions, raising fears that Taiwan might follow the UK and China in building an internet Great Wall.

According to the draft, Article 59 mainly aims to prevent children and juveniles from accessing harmful internet content that could affect their physical and mental development. It specifies that the communication and broadcasting authorities shall convene relevant agencies and commission civil groups to establish content protection organizations.

The draft further requires internet platform providers, application service providers, and content providers to establish self-regulation mechanisms and adopt age-appropriate identification or other necessary protective measures. When online content is deemed harmful to children and juveniles’ physical and mental health, the competent authorities may notify the operators to remove or restrict access, and when necessary, directly notify internet access service providers to implement access restrictions.

Children and Juveniles Welfare and Rights Protection Act amendments spark fears of real-name systems and internet censorship

Once the draft of Article 59 was announced, it immediately triggered backlash online.

Many people worry that the term “age verification” might lead to future policies requiring internet real-name registration, believing that to protect some children and juveniles, all citizens might be forced to prove their age online, which would infringe on the general public’s privacy rights. If future regulations require platforms to upload ID documents for verification, it could also pose risks of personal data leaks.

Additionally, the draft grants authorities the power to restrict internet access, causing panic among creators and netizens. Some critics argue this move is akin to building an internet Great Wall, potentially stifling Taiwan’s democracy and online environment.

Some netizens emphasize that, excluding illegal obscene content, mainstream movies, games, and comics with sexual or violent themes remain protected speech under the Constitution. If the review powers granted by the draft are overextended, it could threaten overall creative freedom.

Image source: Public Policy Online Participation Platform Children and Juveniles Act Amendment Draft Sparks Internet Real-Name System and Censorship Fears, with many public comments opposing

Multiple legislators intervene urgently; Ministry of Health and Welfare promises to reconsider

In response to public concerns, the Taipei City Anime Planning Professionals Union and the ACGN Creative Rights Promotion Association held a joint forum on April 30 with Legislators Tsai Yi-yu, Shen Boyang, and Huang Jie, together with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, reaching several conclusions.

Legislator Shen Boyang pointed out that the current approach to online content classification and management for artistic creation remains unchanged, meaning virtual characters are not subject to the Children and Juveniles Act.

Regarding vague definitions in the draft, such as self-regulation mechanisms, age-appropriate standards, and access restrictions, legislators have requested relevant departments to revisit and refine these provisions to ensure consistency and clarity in the legal framework.

Image source: Shen Boyang’s Threads post about the Children and Juveniles Act amendment draft sparking panic; legislators Shen Boyang, Tsai Yi-yu, and others have met with the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Legislator Tsai Yi-yu suggested that the Ministry of Health and Welfare must use precise language when amending laws, respecting the diversity of secondary creation, and ensuring the amendments do not exceed the original protective consensus.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare representatives also promised to revise ambiguous wording and hold multiple public hearings after the announcement period, soliciting opinions from all sectors before releasing the official draft.

Image source: Tsai Yi-yu’s Facebook post about the Children and Juveniles Act amendment draft sparking panic; Tsai Yi-yu states the Ministry of Health and Welfare should listen more to public opinions

From the iWIN incident to the Children and Juveniles Act, the public is closely watching online and creative freedoms

The controversy over the Children and Juveniles Act amendments recalls the iWIN incident that caused a stir in Taiwan’s anime community in early 2024.

At that time, the internet content protection agency iWIN notified operators to remove anime and game content involving juvenile-like virtual characters, sparking fears of excessive censorship of virtual creations.

After multiple negotiations, a handling principle was established: virtual secondary creations that are not realistic and do not infringe on personal rights were distinguished from real child exploitation and AI-generated realistic pornographic images, successfully resolving the controversy.

Image source: Huang Jie’s Threads post about the iWIN incident, which once caused a major shock in Taiwan’s anime scene; consensus was reached on handling principles

However, the push for the 2026 Children and Juveniles Act revision again stoked public sensitivities about internet regulation.

Public fears of digital intermediary laws returning

There are concerns whether Taiwan is heading back down the path of the UK’s “Online Safety Bill.”

After its implementation in 2023, the law’s strict age verification mechanisms led to unintended consequences, such as adult users downloading VPNs to bypass restrictions for privacy, and some platforms over-removing legal content to avoid penalties, even exiting the UK market altogether.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia has taken mandatory measures, banning minors from using social media platforms, but a BBC investigation found that teenagers can still easily bypass these restrictions; Spain is also considering a youth ban, prompting Telegram founder Pavel Durov to criticize: “The country is using protecting children as a pretext to monitor its citizens.”

• Related report: Spain plans to ban social media for under 16s! Telegram founder criticizes: This is surveillance, not protection

International precedents deepen Taiwanese netizens’ concerns, with many worried that the “Digital Intermediary Law” that faced strong opposition and was blocked years ago might resurface under the guise of protecting children.

Therefore, balancing children’s protection with safeguarding privacy and creative freedom remains a severe challenge for the government.