No evidence of reduction in heavy gaming following Chinese playtime mandates

The rise of concerns about excessive video gaming has led to various governments considering regulatory measures aimed at reducing playtime, particularly among young people.

In 2019, China enacted the 'Notice on the Prevention of Online Gaming Addiction in Juveniles,' mandating strict playtime restrictions for individuals under 18.

New research results showed no no evidence of reduced heavy gaming after the implementation of the playtime mandates. Despite the regulation, the prevalence of heavy play did not diminish. Professor Anders Drachen, SDU Metaverse Lab, was one of the senior scientists behind the groundbreaking work.

The study, published in Nature Human Behavior, highlights the challenges of regulating online gaming behaviour and calls for further research on the impact of regulatory measures in the technology sector.

For more information, see the original research article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01669-8 or get the white paper from: https://thedigitalobservatory.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/whitepaper_playtimeregulation.pdf