Thread by @ZhugeEX

Facial recognition has been a big topic recently due to how it is being used in the West.

Here is a quick thread that looks at how gaming companies like Tencent are using facial recognition in China to comply with new regulations targeting gaming addiction among minors.

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In November 2019, China's gaming regulator introduced a new policy aimed at curbing gaming addiction among those who are under 18. The games industry in China will be worth over $36 billion this year.

Here is a breakdown of the new policy-

nikopartners.com/chinas-state-a…

The crux of the new policy is that you have to register for mobile games with your real ID. This is then checked against a national citizen database

If you are identified as a minor your account will have certain restrictions to curb gaming addiction. No restrictions for adults

Minors are restricted to 1.5 hours gameplay time per day on weekdays, 3 hours on holidays. No gaming between 10pm and 8am.

Minors are restricted to spending RMB 400 on/in games each month to stop overspending. Under 8's are blocked from spending.

These polices did exist for PC games to some extent over a decade ago. But they weren't enforced well and there were tons of loopholes.

For example, just register a fake ID number or use your parents account etc...

The latter is still used today.

However, as technology is becoming more sophisticated, there is pressure for tech and gaming companies to implement more rigorous enforcement.

Examples:
The database that checks ID is updated in real time.
Facial recognition tech is used to identify minors.

Tencent is taking facial recognition to a new level in games to prevent minors from using their parents account to bypass the restrictions outlined above.

The company may ask users to verify their identity via facial recognition to keep playing. Examples below.

Tencent will ask adult account players to verify their identity by facial recognition if they have reason to suspect a child is using the account. This may be done if a different play pattern is recognised and the account is trying to spend more than RMB 400 for example.

AI and machine learning is being used to identify adult accounts that may be being accessed by children / minors.

The aim is to ensure that minors are not using past loopholes to play for unlimited hours or spend unlimited amounts.

The original policy went into place due to the usual reasons one would expect:

- Outcry from media over gaming addiction
- Paternal government policy making
- Parents complaining about children overspending in games

Tencent being at the forefront of rolling this out.

I can certainly agree that capping spending for minors is a good idea.

However, these recent moves take control away from parents. Instead using tech solutions to ensure that minors are not breaking the new rules.

It's very restrictive overall.