China’s online gaming platforms will once again restrict access to minors this summer. As part of the fight against screen addiction, minors are entitled to a total of 26 hours of gaming between July 1 and August 31. To deal with die-hard gamers, companies are turning to artificial intelligence and facial recognition.
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With our correspondent in Beijing, Stéphane Lagarde
The 26-hour quota already existed last summer. The novelty is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect children who try to circumvent the system, using, for example, their parents’ social accounts, state media stress.
62.3% of minors connect to online games
Minors are just as glued to their screens as adults, if not more. In 2021, there were 191 million Internet users under the age of 18 in China: 96.8% of them had access to the Internet, among which 86.7% had it on their mobile, and 62.3% said they play regularly online.
It should be remembered that these games are usually cheaper than console games. The king of online games in China, Tencent’s Glory of Kings, is even free. This does not prevent players from purchasing weapons, clothing, and other equipment for their characters.
According to the 2022 official report on the “new anti-addiction regulations”, the proportion of minors who play less than three hours a week has increased to 75% as a result of the new provisions aimed at restricting screen time. And minors who have passed the university entrance exams are also subject to these restrictions, says the information website Sina-Finance.
facial recognition
To prevent recalcitrant users from breaking through the filters with a VPN, the “Notice on Strict Management and Effective Prevention of Minors from Participating in Online Games” published by the National Press and Publications Administration requires users to register your face to be able to connect using facial recognition. Other identity verification methods such as fingerprint and voice print have also been introduced.
On its official Weibo account, Netease Games recently announced that young gamers would be able to access the content on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Most game manufacturers have suggested similar hours, in line with the regulations imposed by the Government in 2021. But limiting the hours is not enough. Hence the patrols of artificial intelligence virtual agents, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to some experts, addiction to video games is also related to the family environment: parents will also have to use their phones less to take care of their children. For the system to work, commentators point out that alternatives to the ban must be offered. Families and society should suggest “healthy recreational activities” for minors.
