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"Is being under 24 considered a 'minor user'? I've been working for two years already!" A notice from China Unicom's Ningxia branch regarding SIM card registration has sparked discussion among netizens. The notice requires users under the age of 24 to possess a "Minor User SIM Card Application Form" stamped by relevant departments before they can apply for a mobile phone plan.
A customer service representative from Ningxia Unicom stated to the BUG column that users under 24 are primarily students who lack social experience and legal awareness, making them susceptible to inducements like high-paying part-time jobs or cash-back schemes. This can lead them to rent or lend their phone numbers to criminal groups, and this measure is intended to cut off such fraud at its source.
Defining those under 24 as "minor users" for SIM card registration requiring an official stamp has caused a stir. Recently, a netizen posted that while trying to apply for the "5G Changshuang Ice Cream 299-yuan plan" on the Ningxia Unicom website, they were prompted with the message: "If you are under 24 years old, you must personally hold a stamped 'Minor User Phone Number Application Form' to proceed."
The netizen expressed that Ningxia Unicom's definition of users under 24 as "minor users" is uncomfortable. Other netizens also voiced opinions that this move might constitute age discrimination. "Calling them 'minor users' isn't wrong, but setting the age at 24... A 'minor user' who graduated from university two years ago?" "Shouldn't it be 14? At 24, many have already graduated from university and are working!"
The BUG column found on the Ningxia Unicom website that this notice appears not only on the page for the 5G Changshuang Ice Cream 299-yuan plan but also on pages for several other plans, including the 5G Changshuang Ice Cream 199-yuan and 129-yuan plans.
However, after the controversy arose, Ningxia Unicom updated the notice on its website. The latest version states: "For users with ID card ages between 16 and 23 years old, if they already have one or more phone numbers and wish to apply for an additional number, they need to fill out the 'Minor User SIM Card Application Form,' have it stamped at a nearby police station, and then follow the real-name registration process. Thank you for your understanding and support."
The key changes are, first, updating "under 24 years old" to "ID card age between 16 and 23 years old," and second, changing the requirement from applying to *all* new registrations to only applying to users applying for a *second* (or subsequent) SIM card, who then need to fill out and get the form stamped.
Regarding the age-based restriction for SIM cards, the BUG column sought verification from China Unicom headquarters, but the company has not yet responded officially.
The Ningxia Unicom customer service representative explained that users aged 16-23 in the Ningxia region are considered part of a "minor group," mostly students who lack social experience and legal awareness. They are easily deceived by offers of high-paying part-time jobs or cash-back schemes into renting or lending their phone cards to criminal gangs. Therefore, this related measure was adopted to cut off such fraud at the source.
An expert argues that the policy lacks necessity, reasonableness, and proportionality. Bai Wenxi, Vice Chairman of the China Enterprise Capital Alliance, told the BUG column that uniformly labeling everyone under 24 as "minor users" and imposing the additional requirement of a "police station stamp," while having no such requirement for those over 24, already constitutes "differential treatment based on age."
He pointed out that categorizing this age group as "high-risk" may lack sufficient evidential support. International common practice typically designates only "minors" (under 18) as subjects for special protection, not adults. Therefore, this approach is inconsistent with industry norms.
Regarding the rationale of preventing telecom fraud, he believes that from the perspective of combating "two-card" crimes (involving phone and bank cards), strengthening reminders for key groups, limiting the number of cards issued, and adding written commitments can indeed help reduce the space for "card trafficking" to some extent. However, the means must be proportionate to the ends. The problem lies in shifting the verification cost onto ordinary consumers, creating cumbersome procedures that may reduce efficiency. Existing systems like the "five numbers per ID," the "Break Card Action," "secondary real-person verification," and "suspension of high-risk channels" already cover most risk scenarios; adding an age threshold offers limited marginal benefit.
"Therefore, while the intention to prevent telecom fraud is understandable, adopting a one-size-fits-all age cutoff plus a police station stamp method lacks sufficient necessity, reasonableness, and proportionality. The justification is inadequate," he said.
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