Online gaming, while popular, brings a host of side effects and complications, ranging from eye strain and poor posture to more serious mental health issues. In some cases, children have been reported to spend money on in-game purchases without parental knowledge. To tackle these concerns, the Tamil Nadu government is set to introduce new regulations, including time limits, cash spending caps, and a night-time ban on online combat gaming.
Under these new rules, children will not be allowed to play for more than four hours daily, with two-hour sessions capped. The regulations also include monthly cash spending limits ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹20,000, with Aadhaar verification being mandatory for registration on gaming platforms. These steps have been deemed necessary as the mental health of children is being adversely affected, leading to increased rage and violent behavior.
Last year, the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority was established, and it proposed these regulations after conducting a survey involving 1.5 lakh children. The survey revealed that many children use their parents’ phones to play online combat games, particularly at night. Moreover, they often bypass restrictions by obtaining one-time passwords (OTPs) during registration, allowing them to continue playing on their parents’ devices.
To address these loopholes, officials have suggested that apps send pop-up notifications to alert parents about any cash spent or time played. This would enable them to monitor their children's gaming activities more effectively and prevent gaming addiction.
There could be money-in in certain games but no money-out, enforcing time and money restrictions on video games is difficult due to their smaller user base in TN compared to real-money games, which are popular among lakhs of people.
Harish Chengiah, founder & CEO of Outlier Games
During discussions with stakeholders, it was agreed that guidelines should primarily focus on games involving real money, such as rummy and fantasy cricket. These regulations, however, will not apply to purely entertainment-based games where no real money is used. The challenge of restricting time and money in these non-monetary games lies in their smaller user base compared to real-money games.
Despite these hurdles, the Tamil Nadu government remains committed to implementing these regulations to curb the negative effects of online gaming on children. By enforcing strict time limits, cash restrictions, and increased parental awareness, the state aims to mitigate gaming addiction and its associated consequences.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)
