China keeping 1 hour daily limit on kids' online games
As the week-long Lunar New Year holidays in China draws near, children have something more than just feasts and red envelop presents of cash to look forward to -– one extra hour of online games each day
HONG KONG (AP) — As the week-long Lunar New Year holidays in China draw near with promises of feasts and red envelopes stuffed with cash, children have another thing to look forward to –- one extra hour of online games each day.
Only one hour.
For years, Chinese authorities have sought to control how much time kids can spend playing games online, to fight “internet addiction.” They've claimed success in curbing the problem but are taking no chances.
In 2019, authorities restricted minors to playing 90 minutes a day on weekdays and banned them from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. In 2021, they issued even harsher restrictions: Minors are allowed to play online games for only an hour a day and only on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. Game approvals were halted for eight months.
