China Bans Screen Time for Children

The Chinese government’s new law has got the whole world thinking! Chinese state media report that the National Press and Publication Administration of China (NPPA) has published a notice to combat video game addiction among young people. According to the new rules, developers of online applications must provide access to their games to users under the age of 18 exclusively from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Bottom line – kids can spend no more than three hours a week on the phone. Isn’t that a ready-made solution for parents everywhere?

Therefore, the NPPA is calling for stricter implementation of policies that require players to use their real names to register and log into gaming portals, urging providers to block users who don’t comply with these rules.

This is not the first bill aimed at combating gaming addiction in kids. For example, in 2019, China introduced rules banning users under 18 from playing video games late at night. In July, reports first surfaced that gaming giant Tencent had begun using facial recognition software to keep kids from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

According to Reuters, some American parents got mad a this idea noting that nobody should control what’s happening inside each house in terms of raising kids and playing videogames. On the other hand, a lot of parents would be happy with such a law in their country becuase it would rid them of all the screen time and power battles with their kids. So is the law, and you can do nothing about it, so just turn off the gadget!

At the same time, following this rule, parents still allow their kids to play video games but it can only be done in moderation, so that screen time doesn’t get harmful for the kids. From the other hand, some kids overuse social media and suffer from it, while this new Chinese rule doesn’t address it at all. So, there is still room for improvement.