Have you ever gotten so engrossed in a game that you ended up spending the entire day playing it without realizing it? Software publishers and developers might consider that a success, but at the same time, these types of games or online services might actually be bad for both mental and physical health.
So much so that over in China, the country’s government has revised their laws where they want to ban online services that can “induce addiction” in users under 18. This includes things like video games, livestreaming, social media services, and so on. China isn’t outright banning the use of these services or games, but rather they want to crack down on them and make sure that companies who make these games or services have tools that will limit how much a minor can use them.
This is actually not the first time that China has introduced regulations to help curb the addictive nature of online services and gaming. The country’s government had previously introduced things like a gaming curfew that actually limits the amount of time that a minor can spend on a game during the week.
Given that over in China, users typically need to use their government issued identification card, it makes it harder for gamers to try and find loopholes as it isn’t quite as easy as simply signing up for a new account with a throwaway email address.