
App blurs video if you hold the smartphone too close to your face
But does Tencent’s “eye protection” feature guard against myopia or is it just to appease President Xi Jinping?
Conventional wisdom is that holding a smartphone too close to your face can cause myopia, or nearsightedness. It’s something you may have heard your parents or grandparents warn you about. Now you’ll get a warning from a very different source: Tencent’s video app.
The app will now blur images when kids get their face within 16 inches of the screen, and warns them to move away. For now it’s only available on the iPhone X and newer models, which are equipped with Apple’s TrueDepth cameras -- the same technology that allows Face ID to work.
Why is Tencent doing it now? Last month its shares dived after President Xi Jinping complained about the eye health of Chinese youth.

Tencent’s new protective feature might seem like an easy way to appease authorities and parents. But whether it actually helps kids is questionable.
But even if you spend a good amount of time outdoors, it still doesn’t mean you can then play with your smartphone for hours on end. While screen time may not cause permanent eye damage, they do make your eyes temporarily dry and blurry.
Tencent will check the age of Chinese gamers with the police
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
