The crackdown is not appreciated by the gaming industry and probably children.
Slashed Hours
China's government has set new restrictions on the amount of online gaming that minors can access. This has forced some of the largest platform developers to limit their availability to three hours per week, Bloomberg reports.
Although the Chinese government claims that the move is being made to tackle a growing addiction problem, critics claim it is a huge overreach and a threat to the country's burgeoning gambling industry.
Three hours
The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) published the rules Monday. They force developers, including Tencent, to limit online gaming hours for minors to 8pm and 9pm Fridays, weekends and holidays.
This was after China restricted under-18 gaming to 1.5 hours per day in 2019.
Advertisement
Advertisement
It is unclear whether the new rules for online gaming will affect offline single-player gaming for players under 18 years of age.
This is likely to be a difficult pill to swallow for many children in China who, according to the announcement, spend more than three hours per week gaming.
The NPPA sees it as a way to protect their best interests. According to The Verge, a state media article last month described gaming addiction as spiritual opioids. This reference was later removed.
A spokesperson for the NPPA stated that protecting minors' mental and physical health is in their best interests. This statement was translated by Reuters.
Advertisement
Advertisement
To ensure that minors are not able to access the internet, a real-name verification system is also in place. Every online game must also link to an anti-drug system. Teachers and parents are being asked to assist in fighting gaming addiction.
According to Reuters, it was not surprising that the crackdown caused Chinese gaming stocks' value to plummet.
Analyst Daniel Ahmad said that this ruling is the most stringent to date. It will effectively eliminate all spending by minors, which was already very low.
READ MORE: China Cuts Kids Gaming Time to Three Hours per Week [Bloomberg]
Advertisement
Advertisement
More gaming news: Elon Musk plays Cyberpunk 2077 with Tesla's In-Car Console
