China Sets New Gaming Limits for Children

(HorizonPost.com) – Typical American teens love to play video games. In fact, 41% of boys and 20% of girls between the ages of 13 and 18 play video games every day, according to a poll by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. More than one-third of those boys spend more than three hours per day playing. The chaos and rebellion that would almost certainly ensue if US teens faced the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) new limit of three hours of online gaming per WEEK are hard to imagine.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the PRC is attempting to curb the impact of technology companies with this new regulation. The government feels technology companies have “an outsized influence on society.” China will only allow minors one hour of online video game time each day on Fridays, weekends and holidays. This time ration is down from the previous limits of 1.5 hours per day and 3 hours on holidays.

China has banned children from playing online games for more than three hours a week, the harshest restriction so far as regulators crack down on tech. Minors will only be allowed to play from 8 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. https://t.co/k87Cq9lA6r

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 30, 2021

National Public Radio (NPR) and Reuters say the PRC claims the limits will reduce potential gaming addiction. They go so far as to describe it as “spiritual opium.” There’s a scientific basis for concern. The American Psychiatric Association lists “Internet gaming disorder” as a diagnosis in the DSM-5.

Reports also note that the mandate comes amid the Communist regime’s war on tech companies, as they have already targeted e-commerce and online education providers.

In late July, officials announced they would no longer allow for-profit tutoring in core subjects, which hit American companies in the industry, causing several companies to lose large chunks of their stock values.

Big gaming companies worldwide will likely feel the economic impact of the new regulations with such a drastic drop in online gaming time. It’s a brutal blow by any measure one would care to employ.