Re: Chinese Parents Praise Rule Limiting Video Game Time

[USA falls further behind]

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> Liberal Democrats are raising ignorant children. Dumb raises dumb.
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China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can
play online games.

The restrictions limit children to just three hours of online
game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.

Li Zhanguo has two children ages 4 and 8. Even though they do
not have smart phones, they enjoy playing online games.

“If my children get their hands on our mobile phones or an iPad,
and if we don’t closely monitor their screen time, they can play
online games for as long as three to four hours each time,” he
said.

Like many other parents, Li is happy with new government
restrictions. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can
help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get
addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say,
parents should be the ones to set limits and support good
practices.

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction
among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one
in 10 Chinese children were addicted to the internet.

The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from
spending too much time on entertainment that Communist officials
consider unhealthy. That includes what officials call the
“irrational fan culture” surrounding celebrities.

“Adolescents are the future of the motherland, and protecting
the physical and mental health of minors is related to the vital
interests of masses,” the Press and Publications Administration
said in a statement. It is similar to a campaign by Chinese
President Xi Jinping to create a healthier society for a more
powerful China.

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children
play only three hours a day falls largely on Chinese gaming
companies like NetEase and Tencent. Tencent’s highly popular
Honor of Kings mobile game is played by tens of millions across
the country.

Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent
young users from going past game time limits. They have used
facial recognition technology to confirm their identities. And
they have also set up a program that permits people to report
violations.

It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they
do not enforce the restrictions. And even if such policies are
enforced, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online
addiction.

Tao Ran is director of the Adolescent Psychological Development
Base in Beijing which specializes in treating internet
addiction. He expects about 20 percent of children will find
ways to get around the rules.

“...if you have a system in place to restrict them from gaming
they will try to beat the system by borrowing accounts of their
older relatives and find a way around facial recognition,” Tao
said.

Short-video apps such as Douyin and TikTok are also very popular
in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.

Barry Ip of the University of Hertfordshire in England has
researched gaming and addiction. He said, “It’s just as easy for
a young person to spend four hours on TikTok in the evening
rather than play games if their time is uncontrolled.”

Li, the father of two young children, said he plans to start
piano lessons for his daughter.

“Sometimes due to work, parents may not have time to pay
attention to their children and that’s why many kids turn to
games to spend time,” he said. “Parents must be willing to help
children cultivate hobbies and interests so that they can
develop in a healthy manner.”

I’m Dan Novak.

Zen Soo reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Novak
adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

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rule-limiting-video-game-time/6240217.html>