There are 720 million gamers in China that are throwing a tantrum right now if they are under the age of 18 with restrictions now in place allowing youth to only play one hour a day online only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. It means that Gaming companies are now taking over from Game consoles being thrown into pools or over balconies by mum and dad, to having systems in place to prevent minors from accessing their games during certain times and being able to END games if they run out of their allotted time and may I just say… MY GOD they are brave!
The extra restrictions are due to Gaming addiction becoming more prevalent with teens and younger kids, basically forgetting to breathe, while engrossed wholly in the tech online world. There is genuine concern that the future is reliant on a generation who grew up in a world that exists on a screen. It’s no surprise that it’s been estimated that the Chinese games market will generate an estimated $45.6 billion by the end of 2021 which is ahead of the US according to analytics firm Newzoo, which is just insane!
I see this as both a huge win for parents and a huge loss.
When your child asks to use technology and you say “no” you won’t have to be the bad cop parent anymore! With arms in the air, you can say “Well, my dear child, I would love for you to play for another hour while I finish this new insane episode of Squid Games in peace BUT you know it’s not my rules…. It’s industry regulations darling” thus allowing you to escape a barrage of “you’re the worst parent in the world” for the next said hour as your child sulks off to their room to brood whilst also trying to hack into or figure out what the password to your adult unrestricted account is.
Technology time is a huge currency and bribery. Every family has different routines, different needs and different rules so it’s NOT actually ideal for a government industry to have the final say in when and for how long your child escapes into the abyss of gaming online leaving you with that blissful feeling of knowing that they are sat in the one spot and completely occupied independently, leaving you to drink an actual cup of tea or coffee HOT.
Tech time is worth its weight in gold if you are under the age of 18. Every parent goes into any negotiation with a child with the absolute upper hand being the gate keeper of Technology. However, for the parents of China, this superpower has been all but taken away thanks to the new regulations. What will they do?!
When will we stop seeing technology as pure evil akin to what 1960’s parents thought of Rock’n’roll music? Technology is power to parents. Power to get chores done and homework complete at a time that best suits the family. Most importantly, power for you to enjoy an uninterrupted wine in a warm bath with the salts you got for Mother’s Day 5 years ago.
It’s common parenting sense one would hope that there needs to be a balance, like anything in life. Parents should not allow gaming to consume and dismiss their child’s real world. Like any good battle of wills of which the youth have bucket loads and they sure know the right buttons to push, but so what? You just need to grow a pair and go stand your ground. Parents need to not let kids manipulate them through their adolescent door slamming terrorist fight back.
We have the power.
We need to remember that you’re not actually considered a ‘good parent’ until your child shouts at you “you’re the worst parent in the world!” and it’s this badge of honour that should be proudly ours… and not for any government industry regulatory board to steal.