Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Earlier this week the Associated Press reported that China would soon be implementing a ban against online video gaming for those under the age of 18. The new law will restrict online gaming to three hours a week, taking place between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays. According to China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua, this ban is designed to curb gaming addiction among the country’s youth.
I can only imagine that this is incredibly disappointing news to young gamers in China. After all, for most online games, an hour flies by quickly. Let’s be honest, one hour is hardly enough time to really dive into a game anyway. For instance, consider how much time is spent in-between matches, sitting in lobbies while the server loads a map, or waiting on friends to log in and join you.
What about the times you or someone in your group has their internet crap out, forcing you to wait for a router reboot and reconnect? How will it feel when you’re waiting on friends to finish a Fortnite, League of Legends, or Call of Duty match so you can join them on the next game? This new rule will cause a lot of anxiety and frustration, to say the least.
Image courtesy of Epic Games
This new prohibition begs the question, “is a ban on video games really necessary”? According to the World Health Organization, video game addiction and disorder is a worldwide concern among health experts. Furthermore, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that too much time playing video games can lead to a variety of problems, including lower grades in school, not enough physical activity, weight problems, and poor self-image issues. It’s important to note though, the Academy states that any type of “screen time” leads to these issues, not just video gaming (more on that later).
Various sources, including the Mayo Clinic, recommend that children and teens spend two hours or less per day on recreational screen time. This recommendation would include online video games, of course. So putting this into perspective, China’s limit to three hours per week is well below the recommendation from children’s health experts in the United States.
China’s recent ban specifically targets online gaming, which is only one of the culprits of harm and addiction to young people around the world. How effective will it be in preventing gaming disorders and other negative health impacts, when it only limits online play? This targeted ban fails to address other issues that lead to negative mental and physical health problems that youth are facing today.
Will anyone be surprised if children use a parent’s game credentials to log into games instead of their own? What about playing games offline, or spending hours browsing social media, or watching endless hours of TV? Does it prevent people from watching friends or family play games, or tuning into video game live streams? The answer appears to be no to each of these. It seems China’s latest stringent efforts will actually have a very limited role in protecting its nation’s youth.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for China to include additional restrictions, nor am I applauding their recent attempt to limit gaming. In fact, I find it totally unnecessary, off-base, and shortsighted (among other things). On its face, it fails to limit alternative means of technology addiction that also lead to health problems related to screen time.
It also turns a blind eye towards another problem youth face today, in China as well as the rest of the developed world; not enough investment and resources are put into providing youth with healthy and enjoyable options for outdoor playtime. Parents, communities, and nations who are seeking to reduce the negative consequences of technology and screen time must look at providing healthy and easily accessible alternatives. Focus instead on diverting resources to accessibility and the creation of healthy extracurricular options that are nearby every household.
Seek to eliminate barriers to entry such as cost, proximity, and variety of options that meet diverse interests. Until you create opportunities for youth to easily and safely engage in healthy habits, you won’t find them easily breaking their bad ones. Video games are a wonderful and powerful recreational (and sometimes educational) tool in the lives of children and adults. As with most things in life, balance is the key to health and happiness.
