Due to growing concerns of Internet “addiction,” the South Korean government is seriously considering instating an Internet curfew for their youth under the age of 16 from midnight to 6 a.m. A bill will be submitted to parliament that will actually require online gaming companies to stop service after midnight for users who registered their accounts as under the age of 16.
If the bill were to pass, there will be a year-long waiting period in which online gaming companies can prepare for the change.
Jo Rin, a ministry official in charge of the law, provides some insight as to the thought process behind the bill:
“The thing about online games is, once you are in it, it is extremely hard to get out of it, especially if you are a young kid.
A lot of kids play games all night long and have trouble studying at school and going about their normal lives during daytime. We believe the law is necessary to ensure their health and a right to sleep.”
If the bill passes, it seems like it’d be pretty difficult for youngsters under the age of 16 to avoid the midnight shutdowns and would then have to start studying or sleeping instead. I mean, registering their accounts with an older age takes all the skill and effort in the world.
(Yahoo! News via Akihabara News)
Published: Dec 2, 2010 10:14 am