Strict winter break gaming restrictions imposed on minors

Tencent has released strict guidelines for underage players during the upcoming winter holiday.

Minors are calling it "the most horrible winter break" after Tencent said they're only eligible for a total of 14 hours of gaming time between 8pm and 9pm each day for 14 days.

The notice came after stricter rules were released by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPAA) at the end of last year to limit gaming time for minors and ban in-game purchases for those under 12.

No gaming time is allowed on January 29 and 30, the weekend before the weeklong Lunar New Year break that will be switched as workdays.

Some pointed out there are loopholes where teenagers can still use adults' gaming accounts to avoid the restrictions.

"This would be a smart move for parents to take control of their children's gaming time, and students who did well on their final exams might be able to earn extra gaming hours," said one Weibo commentator called "Voood."

Tencent has introduced extra measures such as facial recognition for unusual game logins late at night.

The new guidelines set a one-hour time limit for players under the age of 18 between 8pm and 9pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, in addition to monthly restrictions on in-game virtual gadgets.

Last September, NPPA summoned several major gaming publishers, game account rental platforms and video game livestreaming platforms and called for them to implement play-time restrictions for minors.

A special website has been created that enables people to report companies for any violation of state regulations designed to protect children from video gaming addiction.