One hour and Game over for Chinese kids
Chinese authorities are cutting down on the time kids can play games online. Online game providers can only offer minors one-hour services from 8 pm to 9 pm on Fridays, weekends and official holidays. This is down from 90 minutes every day.
The new regulation was issued by China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) and is just one of many recent actions taken by Chinese authorities to regulate the country’s booming IT business.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reports that the authority “urged the strict implementation of real-name registration and logins, saying that online game providers must not provide any form of game service to users who fail to register and log in using their real identifications.”
Press and publication administrations at all levels have been asked to supervise the implementation of related measures and deal with companies that fail to put measures in place, the news agency reported.
“Minors’ addiction to online games has drawn much attention from the society, an official with the NPPA said, adding that the newly-released notice is meant for minors who are still in the developmental stage physically and mentally, and have poor self-control.”
A limited amount of gaming time for minors is understandable and acceptable as some online games can play an active role in their development, like sports, programming or chess, the official told Xinhua.
The news agency said that “the NPPA has pledged to carry out a special campaign in primary and middle schools, and efforts will be made to strengthen communication among the online gaming industry, parents, teachers and schools to create a better environment for the healthy development of minors.”
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