China is known to put some stringent laws in place to protect its citizens from getting wrongly influenced -- or forces them to do what it feels is right. And now a new rule limits young gamers from playing at night.
Reuters
China is banning gamers below 18 years of age to game post 10:00 PM, among a bunch of other guidelines that were issued by its General Administration of Press and Publication.
As per the guidelines, the kids can only play games between 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM. Moreover, the kids also cannot play more than 90 minutes on a weekday. On weekends, the kids can play for 180 minutes each day.
Additionally, now there is also a limit to the amount a child can spend within the game. Kids between the ages of 8 to 16 are only permitted to spend a maximum of 200 Yuan or Rs 2100 every month, whereas 16 to 18 years old can spend a maximum of 400 Yuan or Rs 4200.
Now you might be wondering, how will the Chinese government keep a track on this? They have conveniently tied this up too. Kids will have to sign up using their real names and linked with identification. These new set of norms will be followed by leading gaming platforms in China.
We are aware of the negative repercussions gaming addiction has on people, especially the youth - there are many cases in India that has shown the disorientation of youth amidst games like PUBG with no self-control.?
However, conditions in China pertaining to online gaming addiction are more grave than one can imagine. Thus even though completely limiting and scrutinised game time for adolescents might seem quite harsh, it could be the only way they could be saved from the rut they're getting themselves in.
While this might seem like a one-stop solution to helping kids, they're not perfect. These restrictions are only limited to gaming online, so many kids could still be hooked to offline games.?
Reuters
Of course, there are other, more responsible ways to deal with this - creating awareness and involving parents to bring a more sensitive approach.
What do you feel about such scrutinization? Should such laws be implemented in India to save our youth too? Let us know in the comments below.