China Limits Online Gaming For Children

Chinese gaming platforms like Tencent ($TCEHY@China) and NetEase ($NTES@China) must limit online gaming to minors to just three hours per week following new rules imposed by regulators on Monday. The change is being made in response to growing concern over gaming addiction and a broader crackdown on China’s tech giants. Children under 18 will now be restricted to one hour of gaming from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. This is a change from the previous limit of 1.5 hours of online gameplay on most days. Gaming companies must restrict online gameplay outside those hours and have a real name verification system to ensure the new rules are enforced. Regulators say they’ll also work with parents and schools to help combat gaming addiction among Chinese youth. The new rules issued today come a month after an article published by state media described online games as “spiritual opium.”