How China claims to have “solved” the video game addiction problem among teenagers

Explained: How China claims to have 'solved' the problem of video game addiction among teenagers

ChinaThe gambling industry’s governing body has reportedly released a statement claiming the country has “solved” the youth problem. video game addiction Problem. According to a Reuters report, this comment was spotted in a statement by the China Game Industry Group Committee which is also affiliated with the gaming data provider CNG and the regulator for online gaming, Chinese Game Industry Research Institute. This statement was issued by the country’s top gaming authority a year after the Chinese government restricted the number of hours young users could gamble in a day.

How China restricted video game hours for young gamers
China has the largest gambling market in the world, but the country’s state-run media has described the industry as “spiritual opium”. This was followed by the country taking several steps to enforce tech regulators, including in-depth investigations, record fines and IPO suspensions.

In September 2021, Chinese regulators enacted a new law banning users under the age of 18 from playing video games more than three hours a week. The new law allowed underage users to gamble online during school hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 8pm and 9pm.

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How this law helped China curb gambling addiction among 18-year-olds
According to the statement, in China over “75 percent of minors play less than three hours a week”. The regulator even found that gambling addiction among Chinese youth has now been “solved”.

The statement also mentions that gambling companies have now implemented anti-addiction schemes that cover more than 90% of underage gamblers. In China, about 98% of mobile phone users are between the ages of 9 and 19, and nearly 186 million internet users are 18 or younger, the report adds.

Online games in China, players are asking to verify themselves with ID cards to ensure minors do not lie about their age. Furthermore, gambling companies have even stopped providing services to younger users beyond the times mandated by the government.

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How these restrictions affected gambling companies in China
These new Chinese gambling laws are having an impact not only on players but also on businesses. However, Beijing now appears to be relaxing its stance on the gambling industry.

Chinese officials have reportedly started approving new games after being suspended for nine months until April. Tencent has reportedly acquired its first video game license in over a year, reports AFP. This dry spell even threatened the company’s position as the world’s leading game publisher.

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