Chinese state media said loopholes that allow minors to circumvent new rules aimed at reducing playing time to three hours a week should be removed to “prevent addiction.”
China introduced new rules in August limiting the amount of time those under 18 can spend playing video games to three hours a week, a move it said was necessary to combat gaming addiction, but prompted young people to Chinese players will express their outrage at the rules.
Attention for Trading Platforms
“In some online trading platforms, there are game account sale and rental businesses, users can circumvent supervision by renting and buying accounts and playing online games without restrictions. This means that there are still loopholes for teenagers to enter online games, which is worthy of “attention,” said a comment in the Communist Party’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily, on Monday.
The comment also said that some game trading platforms have said that strict measures have been taken to prohibit minors from buying, selling, and renting accounts. Gambling companies must “actively fulfill social responsibilities”, “be responsible for the healthy growth of the next generation” and “promote the healthy development of the industry.”
Families and schools are also urged to create an environment conducive to “the healthy growth of minors,” according to the comment, especially parents, as some minors use their identities to sign up for a gaming account, which does make the game time limit ineffective.
Authorities in China, the world’s largest video game market, have for years worried about addiction to games and the Internet among young people, setting up clinics that combine therapy and military exercises for those with so-called “gaming disorders.”
