CHINA KEEPING 1 HOUR DAILY LIMIT ON KIDS' ONLINE GAMES

As the week-long Lunar New Year holidays in China draw near with promises of feasts and red envelopes stuffed with cash, children have another thing to look forward to –- one extra hour of online games each day.

Only one hour.

For years, Chinese authorities have sought to control how much time kids can spend playing games online, to fight “internet addiction.” They’ve claimed success in curbing the problem but are taking no chances.

In 2019, authorities restricted minors to playing 90 minutes a day on weekdays and banned them from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. In 2021, they issued even harsher restrictions: Minors are allowed to play online games for only an hour a day and only on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. Game approvals were halted for eight months.

The Jan. 21-27 Lunar New Year holiday, China’s biggest festival, will give them four extra days for online gaming.

Many parents have lauded the restrictions, even as their children threw tantrums. Social media and games companies set up or strengthened “youth mode” settings on their apps meant to protect minors. They include features that limit use, control payments and display age-appropriate content. For some popular games, real-name registration and even facial recognition gateways have been implemented to prevent workarounds.

In November — more than a year after the stricter game controls were introduced — a government-affiliated industry group, Game Industry Group Committee, issued a report declared the gaming addiction problem among minors was “basically resolved,” even as the three-hour weekly limit for Friday, Saturday and Sunday stayed in place.

Overall, the Game Industry Group’s report said, more than 75% of minors in China played online games for less than three hours a week and most parents expressed satisfaction with the new restrictions.