The NPPA said online gaming companies will now have to prove they have effective identification systems in place. But many young gamers found ways to avoid the requirement, such as signing in under the names of adult family members.
Gaming companies created systems to identify minors. (REUTERS/Florence Lo)Ĭurrent rules require minors to use their real names and national identification numbers when signing in to play. In this file image, people are seen playing online games on computers at an internet cafe in Beijing, China August 31, 2021. The limit ranged from $28 to $57, depending on the age of the gamer. The policy also limited the amount of money minors could spend on virtual items in gaming each month. Those rules limited minors to one hour and a half of gaming time a day and three hours on weekends. The first government restrictions followed in 2019. The move came after concerns from parents and teachers that children were becoming addicted to the game. It limited playing time for some young users of its popular game Honor of Kings. And about 13 percent of underage mobile game users are believed to play them for more than two hours a day on weekdays.Ĭhinese technology company Tencent Holdings took the first step to restrict online gaming for young people in 2017. The NPPA said the new limits were issued to deal with a growing concern that online gaming was affecting the physical and mental health of children.Ĭhinese state media reported that about 63 percent of Chinese minors play online games often.
In 2018, Chinese officials also expressed concerns that gaming might be causing rising rates of eyesight problems among young people. A man plays online game on a computer at an internet cafe in Beijing, China August 31, 2021.