The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment bill Nov. 11 prohibiting print media, computer game makers and Internet platform providers from distributing content deemed psychologically harmful to the physical and psychological well-being of minors.
The amended Children and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act bans newspapers from excessive coverage or descriptions of rape, molestation, suicide and drug abuse, as well as from using words and photographs depicting violent or erotic subject matter.
The ban excludes instances when newspapers cite public documents issued by judicial or administrative agencies.
“The passage of the rule in its current form will create an opportunity for improving reporting quality and protecting the well-being of minors,” Ministry of the Interior Chiang Yi-hua said in a statement.
Under the new rules, the country’s newspaper associations are required to establish self-discipline guidelines. If a newspaper breaches these guidelines and newspaper associations fail to discipline the offending newspaper by requiring it to improve conditions within three months of the breach, relevant authorities can step in and mete out fines of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,966) after consulting associations, civic experts and nongovernment groups in a review meeting.
The self-discipline regulation mechanism was introduced in response to fears that the law could have a negative impact on freedom of speech.
Scholars said they expect the amendment to put a halt to the current trend where there is too much discussion of the gruesome details of a case and not enough analysis and discussion.
According to the Taipei Newspaper Association, representatives of the four major Chinese-language newspapers—the Apple Daily, Liberty Times, China Times and United Daily—have been meeting to discuss how to implement the self-discipline review mechanism, which they are expected to finalize soon.
The law also stipulates that all publications, including videos and computer games, should be properly classified according to their content to protect children. Publishers failing to effectively prevent minors from access to materials restricted to adults will be fined up to NT$50,000.
In addition, according to the amendment, internet platform providers that fail to prevent the circulation of content deemed harmful to children and youth can be fined up to NT$500,000. (PCT-HZW)