Gaming addiction under spotlight in China as regulators tighten control on industry

China’s top state media has warned against video game addiction, as regulators vowed to restrict the approval of new games amid concerns over children’s health.

“Indulging in online games is a huge hazard – the whole society should act to establish a protection net and wall for youngsters,” the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary published on Tuesday. “For the nation’s future, we can never allow gaming companies to hunt for wealth by inducing teens to get addicted [to games].”

The article came after authorities published a document last week outlining how China, under the direction of Chinese president Xi Jinping, would improve myopia among minors.

A section in that document said the State Administration of Press and Publications – a newly formed gaming regulator – will restrict the number of new online video games, limit the amount of time minors spend on games and establish an age-appropriate reminder system for games.

Game addiction will not only make minors neglect their studies, but also mislead them with wrong world views that could “bury hidden dangers in the society”, according to the Xinhua commentary. Citing a survey, it said rural kids are easily prone to being addicted to games partly because they lead simpler social lives.

China’s video games industry needed “strict control” even as it has become an important sector of the economy, People’s Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, said in a separate commentary published on Tuesday. “What we have to guard against is addiction, but not online games themselves,” it said.