Dimapur, August 30 (EMN): In an effort to combat online gaming addiction, China has announced further restrictions on the online gaming time for its citizens under the age of 18, with the new limit set at just three hours a week.
According to the new restrictions, published on Monday, Chinese online gamers under the age of 18 are allowed to play for only an hour (8 pm to 9 pm) on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Previously, the limit was capped at 90 minutes a day in 2019.
The Chinese government has instructed gaming companies to strictly enforce the new restrictions. Chinese users are now required to register accounts with their real identities in order to play.
Earlier this month, the Chinese government ordered Tencent to introduce limits on the amount of time children could play their mobile game Honor of Kings. In response, Tencent announced facial recognition updates to stop children from playing its games past the time limit.
China has been quite vocal about its concerns over gaming addiction among its young citizens. The move reflects China's increasing aversion towards online gaming with a state media outlet branding video games as "spiritual opium" and comparing them to "electronic drugs."
It is unclear how the long term impact of these new restrictions will pan out, however, reports suggest that shares in China's biggest gaming companies have already shown a steep slump in growth.
As China continues to expand its anti-game rhetoric, meanwhile, in South Korea, the country announced that it would be lifting its infamous "Cinderella Law" — A 2011 law that prevented underage players from gaming between midnight and 6 AM.