Underage fans of online games in South Korea have reason to be happy: The controversial nocturnal gaming ban for teenagers will be lifted from January 1st.
As the South Korean public broadcaster KBS reported on Friday, parliament approved a corresponding amendment to the Youth Protection Act the day before.
The so-called shutdown regulation was introduced ten years ago.
It should prevent gambling addiction in children.
The lifting of the ban had been planned for a long time.
Recently, according to KBS, in view of the increasing popularity of mobile games and the growing number of media that young people can access at night, doubts about the effectiveness of the regulation have been raised.
Gaming habits should be further controlled
Critics of the regulation also argued that it would “demonize” gaming culture without fundamentally combating gambling addiction.
Young people under the age of 16 were affected by the ban.
They were not allowed to play online games on the computer between midnight and six in the morning.
Despite the abolition of the ban, the gambling habits of young people are to be monitored further.
With a so-called “choice permit” system, parents and children can determine for themselves how long they can play.
Permission is to be granted by the Foundation for Play Culture, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture.