China Is Forbidding Anyone Under 18 From Playing Video Games For More Than 3 Hours A Week

SHANGHAI - China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium". The new rules, published on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy, including tech, education and property, after years of runaway growth. The restrictions, which apply to any devices including phones, are a body blow to a global gaming industry that caters to tens of millions of young players in the world's most lucrative market. They limit under-18s to playing for one hour a day - 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua state news agency. They can also play for an hour, at the same time, on public holidays.

HA! Hey - China. I've got two words and two words only for you when it comes to banning kids from playing video games over 3 hours a week: 

Gamers will, as life, uh, find a way. You may be able to legally require families to stop at one child but there's NO way teenagers are gonna be stuck to only 3 hours a week. You can pass whatever law you'd like, it just ain't realistic. You ever try and stop a kid in the middle of a tournament or complete binge session? They'll find a way to get back on the saddle. Guaranteed. 

Not to mention it's shocking China of all countries isn't getting ahead on an eSports market that's projected to bring in $1.8 BILLION in 2022. You'd think a country who wants to be the ultimate global superpower would be all-in on dominating all aspects of technology and life. Maybe they just need to be educated properly? If so, there's only one man for the job…