In 10-year plan, China imposes regulations on gaming, live-streaming for kids

In what could mean higher compliance costs for the country’s online entertainment giants, China has now imposed regulations on gaming and live-streaming.  

This move was announced in a newly published 10-year national guidelines on children’s development. It could increase pressure on companies, such as Tencent Holdings and ByteDance.

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Published on Monday by the State Council, the nation’s cabinet, the guidelines said that the operators, who provide online services, including live streaming, games, audio and video streaming and social networks, should limit the time and money minors spend online.   

The operators have been banned from letting teenagers under the age of 16 sign up as live-streamers.  

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To manage how minors play games, Beijing looks to implement a unified electronic identity authentication system across the country.   

It will also review content, limit game time, classify games and protect children’s personal information and privacy.  

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In August, China also took action to ban under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, saying this was needed to curb a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium".    

China had also temporarily suspended approval for all new online games in a bid to curb a gaming addiction among young people.    

(With inputs from agencies)