Many are the consumers who spend hours in front of the telephoneEither to communicate, read, work, stay informed, hang out, among other purposes. And even though it may seem healthy, it is dangerous to spend many hours on the phone a day.
This problem seems to be spiraling out of control in China., and more so now that government authorities are trying to apply stronger measures to curb video game addiction, the condition that Chinese adolescents, more than anything, have frequently presented for some time.
Recently, China's major state media warned of video game addictionas regulators vote to restrict approval of new games.
«Enjoying online games is a great danger: the whole of society should act to establish a network and a wall for young people »the official Xinhua news agency said in a comment posted on Tuesday. "For the future of the nation, we can never allow game companies to seek wealth by inducing teenagers to become addicted (to games)".
The article appeared after authorities released a document last week, explaining how China, under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, would improve myopia among minors.
A section in that document says that the State Press and Publications Administration - a newly formed gambling regulatory agent - restrict the number of new online video games, will limit the amount of time minors spend in games and establish an age-appropriate reminder system for games.
Gambling addiction will not only make minors neglect their studiesbut also mislead them with wrong worldviews that could "bury hidden dangers in society," according to Xinhua's comment. Citing a survey, he said that rural children are prone to being addicted to games because they lead a simpler social life.
China's video game industry needed "tight control" even as it has become an important sector of the economy, Communist Party spokesman People's Daily said in a separate comment published Tuesday. "What we have to protect ourselves is addiction, but not online games", Dijo.
Those comments in China, followed by the latest revision made by the World Health Organization in its disease classification manual, which states that compulsive video game play qualifies as a mental health condition, they have alerted the organizations of the region.
The UN agency said that by classifying so-called gambling disorder as a separate condition, governments, families and healthcare workers will be more vigilant and prepared to identify risks, according to a Reuters report in June.
"Video games are as addictive as crack," warns the WHO.
China's gaming industry is suffering its slowest growth in a decade amid a month-long hiatus in government approval of new games. In the first half of this year, the gross income of the national video game sector increased by 5% year-on-year, thus obtaining 15 billion dollars, to mark the first single-digit growth since at least 2009, according to the CNG researcher.
All video games must be licensed for publication in Chinaeven the ones that are available for free. The State Administration of Press and Publications, formed in March as part of a broader government reorganization that strengthens the Communist Party's grip on the industry, has not licensed any new games since March 28.
Amid that predicament, Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings posted its first earnings decline since 2005 due to lower gaming revenue. Shares of Tencent, which runs the world's largest video game business, is down nearly 20% so far this year. NetEase, the world's sixth-largest gaming company and Tencent's closest rival in China, also posted lower-than-expected earnings in the second quarter. All because of these measures that the government applies, increasingly, strongly.