According to a research report on internet usage by minors in 2020, "more than 60 percent of underage netizens frequently play games online, with mobile gaming making up for 56 percent." Psychologists have been warning that kids and adolescents are vulnerable to online games, and this could become addictive.

The Chinese government finally cracked down. It made strict rules asking online gaming companies to limit the streaming for minors only to Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a week, and that too from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. [https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/china-limits-children-s-video-game-playing-to-3-hours-a-week/6080716.html]

There are also new rules for those who want to access the gaming platforms and the service providers. Access to online games now requires real-name verification and log-in systems.

Online gaming is huge business in China. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, China's gaming industry's annual revenue stood at around $43 billion in 2020. This has been increasing at a fast pace for the last few years. Mobile gaming contributed to over 75 percent of the total revenue. [http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0903/c90000-9891565.html]

Chinese media is full of stories about how parents are welcoming this move. The press is also quoting them in South Korea and Japan. There are reports on how it has become a model for other countries concerned about the mental and physical health of the children addicted to online video games. [http://en.ce.cn/main/latest/202109/01/t20210901_36870120.shtml]

Can other countries in the world adopt this model to wean away children from addiction to online gaming?

Some experts are not sure. They see the latest move as yet another Chinese government attempt to control get even deeper into people's lives and their choices. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-gaming-restrictions-online-crackdown-digital-technology/]

The latest measure has come as a shock to the tech industry in general and the gaming industry in China. Since the Chinese government has been tightening the screws around the tech industry on matters of privacy and data sharing, some are seeing the latest order as part of the larger crackdown.

Read more:

News report:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/31/tech/china-ban-video-games-minor-intl-hnk/index.html

Can China really stop kids from playing the games?
https://fortune.com/2021/09/03/china-video-gaming-mobile-smartphone-addiction-free-to-play/