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Tencent hit with lawsuit for violating children’s rights on day China rolls out updated minors protection rules
- The Beijing Children’s Law Aid And Research Centre accuses Tencent’s Honour of Kings of encouraging gaming addiction and showing inappropriate content
- The NGO’s lawsuit was filed on the same day that China’s updated Minors Protection Law came into effect
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A children‘s rights organisation on Tuesday slapped Tencent Holdings with a public interest lawsuit, alleging that the internet giant’s blockbuster video game Honour of Kings violates the rights of minors by encouraging addictive behaviour and showing inappropriate content.
The lawsuit, which was filed on the same day that China’s updated Minors Protection Law came into effect, accuses Honour of Kings of weakening the self-control of minors, showing them inappropriate content – including women’s cleavage, violence and improper comments – and misrepresenting Chinese history, according to a post on WeChat by the non-government organisation (NGO) Beijing Children’s Law Aid And Research Centre (BCLARC).
The NGO did not elaborate on its demands, but said its lawsuit represents China’s first civil public interest litigation on the protection of minors filed by a social group.
Founded in 1999 as the first NGO on children’s rights, BCLARC is run by a network of lawyers who are closely engaged in the study and amendment of China’s Law on the Protection of Minors, according to its website.
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Honour of Kings: world’s most popular role-playing mobile game
Honour of Kings: world’s most popular role-playing mobile game
Legal experts indicated that the new litigation could spell trouble for Tencent.
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