China’s Tencent limits gaming for minors after media outcry

Tencent Holdings said that it would limit gaming time for minors and ban children under 12 from making in-game purchases after a state media article called games ‘spiritual opium’ on Aug 2. — AP

HONG KONG: China’s biggest gaming company, Tencent Holdings, said Tuesday it will limit gaming time for minors and ban children under age 12 from making in-game purchases after a state media article called games “spiritual opium”.

Tencent’s pledge to curb gaming for minors came hours after the company’s stock plunged as much as 11% following a critique published by the Economic Information Daily, a newspaper affiliated with China’s official Xinhua News Agency.