Tencent will tell your parents if you spend too much in a game

It came after parents complained that in-app purchases were too easy

Reading Time:2 minutes

Honor of Kings is so popular that there are smartphone arcades where children go to play -- and hide from their parents. (Picture: SCMP)

Published: 7:22pm, 21 Jun 2018Updated: 8:29am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Tencent says that if you are under 18 and spend over 500 yuan (US$77) on in-game purchases in a day, it will alert your parents.

The new function is on trial right now, and not a moment too soon: Tencent has been sued by Chinese parents, after their children spent thousands of dollars on in-game purchases.

For instance, in 2017, an 11-year-old girl spent 100,000 yuan (US$14,700) in Honor of Kings (known as Arena of Valor in the West).

Parents put the blame on Tencent, saying it made in-game purchases too easy for underage gamers to splurge on in-game items. Each item purchase is just a tap away, since payment is linked with Tencent’s own WeChat Pay, one of the country’s biggest digital payment platforms.

Tencent lost many of those lawsuits. One high-profile lawyer said he forced the tech giant to return more than US$5,700 to five families.

So how will they implement it? Tencent is dedicating a team of 200 to identify gamers under the age of 18. Players have to submit their real name, age and ID number during registration.

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