diff --git a/include/linux/page_counter.h b/include/linux/page_counter.h
index e1295e3e1f19..aadd42f5ab7b 100644
--- a/include/linux/page_counter.h
+++ b/include/linux/page_counter.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ struct page_counter {
 	/* Keep all the read most fields in a separete cacheline. */
 	CACHELINE_PADDING(_pad2_);
 
+	bool protection_support;
 	unsigned long min;
 	unsigned long low;
 	unsigned long high;
@@ -45,12 +46,17 @@ struct page_counter {
 #define PAGE_COUNTER_MAX (LONG_MAX / PAGE_SIZE)
 #endif
 
+/*
+ * Protection is supported only for the first counter (with id 0).
+ */
 static inline void page_counter_init(struct page_counter *counter,
-				     struct page_counter *parent)
+				     struct page_counter *parent,
+				     bool protection_support)
 {
 	atomic_long_set(&counter->usage, 0);
 	counter->max = PAGE_COUNTER_MAX;
 	counter->parent = parent;
+	counter->protection_support = protection_support;
 }
 
 static inline unsigned long page_counter_read(struct page_counter *counter)
diff --git a/mm/hugetlb_cgroup.c b/mm/hugetlb_cgroup.c
index f443a56409a9..d8d0e665caed 100644
--- a/mm/hugetlb_cgroup.c
+++ b/mm/hugetlb_cgroup.c
@@ -114,10 +114,10 @@ static void hugetlb_cgroup_init(struct hugetlb_cgroup *h_cgroup,
 		}
 		page_counter_init(hugetlb_cgroup_counter_from_cgroup(h_cgroup,
 								     idx),
-				  fault_parent);
+				  fault_parent, false);
 		page_counter_init(
 			hugetlb_cgroup_counter_from_cgroup_rsvd(h_cgroup, idx),
-			rsvd_parent);
+			rsvd_parent, false);
 
 		limit = round_down(PAGE_COUNTER_MAX,
 				   pages_per_huge_page(&hstates[idx]));
diff --git a/mm/memcontrol.c b/mm/memcontrol.c
index eb92c21615eb..58169c34ae55 100644
--- a/mm/memcontrol.c
+++ b/mm/memcontrol.c
@@ -3585,21 +3585,21 @@ mem_cgroup_css_alloc(struct cgroup_subsys_state *parent_css)
 	if (parent) {
 		WRITE_ONCE(memcg->swappiness, mem_cgroup_swappiness(parent));
 
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->memory, &parent->memory);
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->swap, &parent->swap);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->memory, &parent->memory, true);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->swap, &parent->swap, false);
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMCG_V1
 		WRITE_ONCE(memcg->oom_kill_disable, READ_ONCE(parent->oom_kill_disable));
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->kmem, &parent->kmem);
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->tcpmem, &parent->tcpmem);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->kmem, &parent->kmem, false);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->tcpmem, &parent->tcpmem, false);
 #endif
 	} else {
 		init_memcg_stats();
 		init_memcg_events();
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->memory, NULL);
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->swap, NULL);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->memory, NULL, true);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->swap, NULL, false);
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMCG_V1
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->kmem, NULL);
-		page_counter_init(&memcg->tcpmem, NULL);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->kmem, NULL, false);
+		page_counter_init(&memcg->tcpmem, NULL, false);
 #endif
 		root_mem_cgroup = memcg;
 		return &memcg->css;
diff --git a/mm/page_counter.c b/mm/page_counter.c
index ad9bdde5d5d2..a54382a58ace 100644
--- a/mm/page_counter.c
+++ b/mm/page_counter.c
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@
 #include <linux/bug.h>
 #include <asm/page.h>
 
+static bool track_protection(struct page_counter *c)
+{
+	return c->protection_support;
+}
+
 static void propagate_protected_usage(struct page_counter *c,
 				      unsigned long usage)
 {
@@ -57,7 +62,8 @@ void page_counter_cancel(struct page_counter *counter, unsigned long nr_pages)
 		new = 0;
 		atomic_long_set(&counter->usage, new);
 	}
-	propagate_protected_usage(counter, new);
+	if (track_protection(counter))
+		propagate_protected_usage(counter, new);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -70,12 +76,14 @@ void page_counter_cancel(struct page_counter *counter, unsigned long nr_pages)
 void page_counter_charge(struct page_counter *counter, unsigned long nr_pages)
 {
 	struct page_counter *c;
+	bool protection = track_protection(counter);
 
 	for (c = counter; c; c = c->parent) {
 		long new;
 
 		new = atomic_long_add_return(nr_pages, &c->usage);
-		propagate_protected_usage(c, new);
+		if (protection)
+			propagate_protected_usage(c, new);
 		/*
 		 * This is indeed racy, but we can live with some
 		 * inaccuracy in the watermark.
@@ -112,6 +120,7 @@ bool page_counter_try_charge(struct page_counter *counter,
 			     struct page_counter **fail)
 {
 	struct page_counter *c;
+	bool protection = track_protection(counter);
 
 	for (c = counter; c; c = c->parent) {
 		long new;
@@ -141,7 +150,8 @@ bool page_counter_try_charge(struct page_counter *counter,
 			*fail = c;
 			goto failed;
 		}
-		propagate_protected_usage(c, new);
+		if (protection)
+			propagate_protected_usage(c, new);
 
 		/* see comment on page_counter_charge */
 		if (new > READ_ONCE(c->local_watermark)) {
