China’s video game regulator has directed that online gamers under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play for an hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays.
A news report by BBC.com indicated that the National Press and Publication Administration told state-run news agency Xinhua that game-playing would be only allowed between 8pm to 9pm.
This is even as the industry regulator also instructed gaming companies to prevent children playing outside these times.
It would be recalled that earlier this month, a state media outlet branded online games “spiritual opium”.
According to the news report, based on the new directive, inspections of online gaming companies will also increase, to ensure that the time limits are being enforced by the video companies and others nationwide.
Before the latest directive by the regulator, earlier rules had limited children’s online game-playing to 90 minutes per day, rising to three hours on holidays.
Analysts believe that the latest move reflects a long running concern about the impact of excessive gaming on the young.
For instance, BBC reported that a month prior to the latest restrictions, an article published by the state-run Economic Information Daily claimed many teenagers had become addicted to online gaming and it was having a negative impact on them.
The article prompted significant falls in the value of shares in some of China’s biggest online gaming firms.
Only last month, Chinese gaming giant, Tencent, announced it was rolling out facial recognition to stop children playing between 22:00 and 08:00, following its concerns that children were using adult identities to circumvent rules.
