Supreme Court: Cases involving minors' "recharge" and "tips" should be comprehensively evaluated by considering various factors

The Supreme People’s Court issued the Working Guidelines for People’s Courts on Hearing Civil Cases Involving Minors on March 18. The guidelines make it clear that, in contract dispute cases involving online game recharges, livestream tipping, and similar matters in which a minor is a party, the court should, based on the nature and content of the specific contract, give full consideration to how closely the contract is connected to the minor’s life; whether the minor can understand the conduct and anticipate the corresponding consequences; and factors such as the contract subject matter, quantity, consideration or remuneration. The court should then make a comprehensive determination as to whether the act of concluding the contract is appropriate for the minor’s age and intellectual capacity, and correctly ascertain the contract’s validity. If the parties request the return of property or compensation at its appraised value with respect to an invalid contract, such requests should be supported. If a party requests damages for losses, the court should determine the fault of each party and the corresponding responsibilities based on factors including the minor’s age, intellectual capacity, the contracting process, and the extent to which the guardian has fulfilled supervisory responsibilities. (CCTV News)