China is known to have a very restrictive understanding of administration throughout the country. While some may claim that some of the restrictions can be beneficial for the public, some of them are pretty “interesting”. One of the latest news about those restrictions came up in previous days.
With the new restrictions on board, minors will not be able to play online games for more than 3 hours a week. With further details, they will be allowed to play just one hour a day on weekends and holidays. Reason for this decision is “anti-addiction” measures. Moreover, it is mentioned that there were complaints from parents about previously active restrictions for being “too generous”. Actual meaning of “generous” here, according to the rules made in 2019, was that minors were allowed to play one and a half hours on weekdays and three hours per day on weekends.
“Recently, many parents have reported that some teenagers’ addiction to online games has seriously affected their normal study life and physical and mental health,” an official told Xinhua.
The restrictions also have quite strict rules about the “allowed” activity of minors in online games. Online gaming platforms can only allow minors to play from 8 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as holidays, and gaming companies will be required to use a “real-name verification system” to enforce the age restrictions. Chinese officials will also step up inspection and enforcement of the restrictions, according to the NPPA. These new set of restrictions will be effective from September 1st and on.
Earlier this month, Chinese lawmakers also passed sweeping new data privacy regulations that limit how personal information can be collected and used.
