China claims youth gaming addiction resolved

Young people in China have curbed their addiction to video games, a report says.

The claim is made by the China Game Industry Group Committee, affiliated with the gaming regulator.

And it may raise hopes officials – who once attacked video games as “spiritual opium” – may soften the country’s severe gaming restrictions.

Since August 2021, children have been banned from gaming for more than three hours a week.

The gaming sector was also hit with a freeze on official approvals for new titles.

It was part of a wider crackdown by the Chinese authorities on the country’s enormous technology sector, which includes giants such as Tencent, one of the world’s biggest video-games companies.

Chinese game companies, including Tencent, have achieved “remarkable results”, it says.