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Video gaming
TechPolicy

China limits gaming time for under-18s to one hour a day on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays

  • China’s top watchdog for gaming and other forms of online media has formally issued the rules to combat video games addiction among teenagers
  • The NPPA said video gaming companies are the main entities responsible for stopping children from becoming addicted to games

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China’s top watchdog for gaming and other forms of online media, formally issued the rules to combat gaming addiction among teenagers. Photo: AFP
Josh Ye

Beijing has issued a new rule limiting the gaming time for players aged under 18 to between 8pm and 9pm only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays, marking the country’s most stringent measure yet to tackle video gaming addiction among young people.

The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), China’s top watchdog for gaming and other forms of online media, formally issued the rules to combat gaming addiction among teenagers, according to a report by state media outlet Xinhua.

The previous rules, introduced in 2019, limited the play time for minors to no more than 90 minutes each day and 3 hours on statutory holidays.

While the direct impact on Chinese gaming companies such as Tencent Holdings and NetEase may be limited as players under 18 currently account for only a small part of revenues, over the longer term the new rule could gradually erode the country’s player base.

The notice also states that companies must strictly implement the real-name registration and login system in their games and not provide access to video games for those who are unregistered.

The gaming unit of Tencent said in a statement on Monday that it supports the new regulation and will implement the new requirements as soon as possible.

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