China Is Limiting Children To Three Hours of Online Games Per Week
China To Ban Children From Playing Online Games More Than 3 Hours Per Week
The Chinese government will be severely restricting how much time kids can spend playing online games. On Monday, the country announced new rules limiting children under the age of 18 to just one hour per day from 8 pm to 9 pm, and three hours total for the week. The government says the new rules are meant to protect children’s physical and mental health. But it could have a huge economic impact on China’s booming video game industry.
So how exactly do they enforce this you may be wondering? The restrictions will be put on the gaming companies and not individual citizens. Under the new rules, companies providing games to minors will be prohibited from serving those users outside of designated hours. Furthermore, the companies won’t be allowed to provide services to users who haven’t logged in with their real names, preventing them from staying ignorant about the backgrounds of their users. Previously those under 18 were limited to 1.5 hours of gaming time per day. And up until 2014 gaming consoles were completely banned.
Screen time can certainly be a concern especially with kids needing iPads and laptops for schoolwork as well. It is certainly important to limit screen time and encourage kids to get outside, play with other kids, and partake in other types of activities. However not sure it is the government’s place to make that distinction. Do you limit your kids’ screen time?
