China to introduce three-hour weekly limit on online games for under 18s

Those under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play from 8pm to 9pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

China is set to introduce a three-hour weekly limit on online gaming for under 18s from 1 September. Those under 18 will only be permitted to play from 8pm to 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as public holiday days. As reported by Bloomberg on Monday, it is the latest move by Chinese regulators to combat growing gaming addiction among young people in the region. According to Reuters, gaming companies are required to restrict online gaming during these hours and must enforce a real-name verification system to ensure that users can't avaid the new system. However, the rules do not clarify whether or not the restrictions will apply to non-online and non-console games also. The rules also don't state whether or not foreign titles will have to comply to the new system.