In the field of sexual assault on children, criminal paternalismplays a significant protective role and is developing towards modern softpaternalism. The application of criminal paternalism should have four essentialelements: necessity, equivalence, coercion, and effectiveness. The protectionmode of children’s sexual rights has changed with the changes in paternalism,transitioning from a “parent centered” to a “child centered” approach. Thecurrent regulations on sexual assault on children in China have rationalityin implementing provisions on the age of children’s sexual consent and agesimilarity, effectively safeguarding the principle of maximizing children’sinterests and prioritizing children. Due to the backwardness of the law itself,it is impossible to effectively regulate sexual exploration behavior amongadolescents. The law cannot be lightly changed. Under the current legal system,the proviso to Article 13 of the Criminal Law can indirectly guide judges intheir individual judgments, which can exert the function of a crime. Judicialinterpretation should keep up with the times and be revised to give full play toits initiative.