Tencent to limit time children play game online amid addiction fears

Tencent Holdings , China’s biggest gaming and social media firm by revenue, said it would limit play time for some young users of Honour of Kings from Tuesday, amid claims that children were getting addicted to the popular mobile game.

Parents and teachers have complained that children were becoming addicted to the multiplayer online battle game, which, according to the company, has more than 200 million users, making it the world’s most popular game of its kind.

Users below 12 years of age will be limited to one hour of play time each day, while those aged between 12 and 18 will be limited to two hours a day, Tencent said.

The firm also plans to ban users under 12 years from logging in after 9pm and will impose further restrictions on how much money younger users spend on the game, it added.

“There are no rules to prevent indulgence in online games in China, but we decided to be the first to try to dispel parental worries by limiting play time and forcing children to log off,” Tencent said on its official WeChat social media account.

Tencent, which has a portfolio of over 200 games, also said it would upgrade a parental control platform rolled out earlier this year that makes it easier for parents to monitor their children’s gaming account activities.