Tencent makes it harder for China’s minors to bypass anti-addiction game limits by using adults’ accounts

  • For adult accounts the platform suspects of being operated by minors, players will be asked to verify their identities by scanning their faces, Tencent says
  • Users who fail to verify their identities as adults will be subject to the limits for minors

Chinese kids play mobile games on smartphones during an expo in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, on 20 October 2011. Photo: Imaginechina
Bad news for young Chinese gamers hoping to bypass the country’s strict anti-addiction measures by using their parents’ accounts: gaming giant Tencent Holdings has announced new measures aimed at making this more difficult.

For adult accounts the platform suspects of being operated by minors, players will be asked to verify their identities by scanning their faces when they log in to games or top up their accounts by more than 400 yuan (US$57) for in-game payment purposes, Tencent said in a statement on WeChat on Wednesday.

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