Raleigh Smith Dattweiler was doing laundry in her Ohio home, her three children playing the video game Minecraft above, when she heard an NPR story about new rules in China that forbid teens and children under 18 from playing. does. Video game For more than three hours a week.
“Oh, that’s an idea,” recalls Dattweiler, who works in public relations at a nonprofit, thinking. “My American gut instinct: This is a violation of rights and you don’t have to tell us what to do inside our own homes.
“On the other hand, it’s not as good for kids as my own kids play. And I think it would be a lot easier to turn it off if it wasn’t just arguing with mom, but actually saying ‘ Well, the police said so.'”
For the Duttweilers and many families outside of China, Monday’s news of the country’s strict social intervention — which regulators said was needed to curb a growing addiction once described as “spiritual opium” — was a major concern for video games. Underscores the challenge of rein in use. In their homes, especially during the pandemic.
China’s regulator said the new rules were a response to growing concern that the games affected the physical and mental health of children, a fear echoed by parents and experts in the United States.
Paul Morgan, a father of two teenagers and a professor at Penn State who studies the use of electronic devices, sees flaws in the ban, accepting the challenge of controlling children’s screen time. “These electronic devices are ubiquitous,” Morgan said. “It’s really hard to take the kids away from them.”
Yet Morgan says the negative association with screen time is particularly evident for heavy users, possibly due to displacing activities such as exercise or sleep. The ban does not address the use of social media, which is known to be particularly harmful to girls. And some populations, such as students with disabilities, may benefit from the social interaction provided by video games.
Shira Weiss, a New Jersey-based campaigner for technology clients including a video game company, sees value in games that help her twin 12-year-old sons stay connected to their peers, but wants better limits on how often they play. More violent games.
“I think the Chinese rules are good,” Weiss said. “You’re still saying ‘play video games,’ but you’re just setting limits.” She partly joked: “Can they come here and ban my house?”
Michael Gural-Maello, who works in business development at an engineering firm and has an 11-year-old son, believes that parents should control their children’s use of video games.
“I don’t think governments really have any place to tell parents how their kids should spend their time,” Gural-Millow said. “China has a poor record in technology in general. I’m more concerned about my son using apps originating in China that collect data than I am about him playing Mario Kart. “
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