SHANGHAI (Reuters). CHINESE state media claims that minors should not be allowed to ignore new gaming rules to reduce their gaming play to just three hours per week. This is to prevent them from becoming addicted.

China implemented new rules this August that limited the time children under 18 can spend online gaming to only three hours per week. While China claimed it was doing so to reduce the addiction to video games, the move caused anger among young Chinese gamers.

Online trading platforms have game account rentals and businesses that sell games. Users can rent or buy accounts to play online without restriction and bypass supervision. According to a comment in Monday’s People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s Official People’s Daily Newspaper, this means there is still a way for teens to get into online gaming.

Comment also stated that certain game trading platforms had taken strict measures to ban minors from renting, buying or selling accounts. Gamers must fulfill their social responsibilities and promote the development of the sector.

The commentary also suggests that schools and families should create an environment conducive to “the healthy growth of minors.” This is particularly important for parents because some minors will use their identities in order to register for gaming accounts, which makes the limit on gaming time useless.

China is the largest market for video gaming in the world. Authorities have been concerned for many years about young gamers becoming addicted to the internet and games. They set up clinics that combine military drills with therapy for people suffering from “gaming disorders”.