Hong Kong: China’s biggest gaming company, Tencent Holdings, has announced to limit the gaming time for minors and ban children under 12 years of age from making in-game purchases.
The announcement came hours after the company’s stock plunged as much as 11 percent following a critique published by the Economic Information Daily, a newspaper affiliated with China’s official Xinhua News Agency, the Associated Press reported.
The newspaper article named Tencent’s wildly popular ‘Honor of Kings’ game as one that minors were addicted to.
The article also cited a student as saying that some played the game for eight hours a day.
“‘Spiritual opium’ has grown into an industry worth hundreds of billions,” the newspaper said, adding that no industry should be allowed to develop in a manner that will “destroy a generation.”
The online article was removed hours later.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tencent issued a statement stating it will limit the gaming time for minors to one hour a day and two hours a day during holidays.
The company added the children under 12 years of age will also be prohibited from making purchases within the game.
Tencent also called for the industry to control gaming time for the minors and discuss the possibility of banning those younger than 12 years of age from playing games.
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The users under 18 years of age, as per the Chinese law, can play online games for a maximum of one and a half hours a day and three hours during holidays.