China’s Gaming Curfew For Minors

Table of Contents

The ban on gaming

China has imposed curfews on minors playing video games to combat what the government says is a serious addiction “harming the physical and mental health of minors”.
The National Press and Publication Administration published these restrictions on 5th November 2019.
The Chinese government aims at curbing video game addiction among young people, a problem that top officials believe is to blame for a rise in nearsightedness and poor academic performance across a broad swath of society.

No playing video games between 10 pm- 8 am
Maximum 90 minutes of gaming on weekdays.
180 Minutes on weekends and holidays
Gamers to use their real names to register with supporting details such as their WeChat account, phone number or ID number to sign up.
In game purchases per month capped at

The new measures are “guided by” Xi Jinping thoughts on socialism.
Last year he criticised video games for contributing to myopia in Chinese children, putting pressure on officials to control the industry.

In 2018, the government announced the establishment of a gaming regulator – to limit the number of new online games, restrict paying time and develop an age-restriction system.
Chinese authorities have also launched a clean-up of online or media content deemed “unhealthy”.
Under the new regulations, sexually explicit, bloody or violent games, as well as those that feature gambling, would also banned.

In June 2018, the World Health Organization listed gaming addiction, officially known as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a mental health condition.
According to WHO, the condition is diagnosed when an online gamer plays compulsively to the point of disregarding other interests, including school and family life.
According to the WHO’s definition, a person who has gaming disorder will show the following characteristics for at least 12 months:

For a diagnosis, these behaviours must be so severe that they affect a person’s:

Chinese game users doubted how well the new curfews would be enforced.
Minors could use the identification numbers of their parents, as many currently do to get around age restrictions.
Children often play games that do not require an internet connection and are difficult to regulate.

China’s online gaming industry is one of the world’s largest.
China’s total gaming revenue reached an estimate of $36.5 billion so far this year, making it the second largest gaming market, next to the United States

The video game industry is growing so fast that some believe it will reach over $300 billion by 2025 with over 2.5 billion gamers around the world