Chinese Father Sues Gaming Firms Over Son's Addiction, Seeks Stronger Safeguards -

A father in China’s Henan province has sued four major gaming companies—Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo and 37 Interactive Entertainment—seeking symbolic compensation of 10 yuan (about US$1.50) while urging the court to require stricter enforcement of anti-addiction measures for minors.

The lawsuit follows an incident in May in which the man’s 18-year-old son was hospitalised after swallowing 18 fever tablets. Although the teenager has not explained his actions, the father believes years of excessive gaming contributed to the incident.

According to the father, his son spent years playing online games for long hours and was able to bypass China’s anti-addiction rules by registering gaming accounts with his adult sister’s identity card.

Data from one gaming platform showed the teenager logged 1,868 hours of gameplay since March 2024.

The father argues that gaming companies should do more to verify users’ identities using technologies such as facial recognition to prevent minors from evading restrictions. He said his goal is not financial compensation but stronger protections for young gamers.

The case, which has drawn widespread attention on Chinese social media, was due to be heard in July but has been postponed after the companies challenged the court’s jurisdiction.

China enforces some of the world’s strictest online gaming rules for minors, limiting their gaming time to specific hours on weekends and public holidays.-ERMD/TS

READ MORE