Safe, healthy cyberspace key for young people

Young people in China have shown greater respect for the code of conduct in cyberspace as internet companies and platforms have made more efforts to effectively regulate online behavior, according to a report on internet civilization development.

The "China Internet Civilization Development Report 2023", which was issued on Tuesday, said a comprehensive administrative system for cyberspace has been established in the country.

Mechanisms to report and deal with rumors spreading online have continuously been improved, which provided people with a healthy environment in cyberspace, said the report, released on the sidelines of the two-day 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference, which opened on Tuesday in Xiamen, Fujian province.

In the keynote speech at the opening session of the conference, Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that a healthy environment in cyberspace requires the full utilization of the latest technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence, to further promote traditional and contemporary Chinese culture.

It is particularly important to help young people learn more about how to use the internet safely in accordance with the law and oppose bad and illegal behavior online, Li said.

"More laws and regulations on the internet will be drafted to support the administration of cyberspace. Also, research on how to regulate new technologies and applications, including artificial intelligence and communication tools, must be carried out in advance to prevent risks," he said.

According to the report, cyberspace has become a key platform to promote fine social values, which have been shared by China's more than 1 billion netizens.

Zhuang Rongwen, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said that the nation will continue to enforce measures to fight uncivilized online behavior. In addition, regular and long-term operations will be conducted to ensure a clean internet environment.

Besides the opening ceremony, the conference, themed on "pooling the strength of civilization to forge ahead on a great journey", includes a summit forum, 12 sub-forums and various activities, according to the administration.

Approximately 800 people, including government officials, representatives from internet companies and social organizations, experts and netizens, are expected to exchange their ideas at the event on internet-related issues such as combating rumors, digital tourism, personal information protection and data security, it added.