Social workers and teachers have argued against a ban on Tamagotchi 'virtual pets' for children, saying the toys could be educational if played with properly.
A lecturer at Hong Kong University's Faculty of Education went even further, suggesting material about the toy be taught in lessons.
Cheung Chi-kim yesterday told a forum organised by the Kowloon Caritas Community Centre that it was a bad idea to stop children from playing with Tamagotchi.
Young people in Hong Kong have been snapping up the egg-sized electronic toys which must be fed, cleaned and even loved by pushing different buttons.
However, teachers feared students would be distracted from lessons by spending too much time caring for their electronic pets.
Some schools have banned students from bringing Tamagotchi to class.
There was particular concern about a model to be released later this month which features a triad member who has to be fed beer and given a knife to fight with.