China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules it children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smart phones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents, Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practices.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in 10 Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the "irrational fan culture".
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like NetEase and Tencent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video apps such as Douyin and TikTok are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
