Youth Protection Act Amendment Including Shutdown System Abolition Passed in National Assembly Plenary Session
Unified into 'Game Time Selection System' Allowing Parents to Autonomously Set Children's Game Time
On the 11th, at the plenary session held in the National Assembly, the resignation bill of Assemblyman Kwak Sang-do, who expressed his intention to resign over the 5 billion won retirement pay issue from Hwacheon Daeyu, and the appointment consent bill for the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (Choi Jae-hae) are being passed. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The "Shutdown System," which restricts late-night online gaming for teenagers, will be abolished starting next year. Only the "Game Time Selection System," which allows parents to autonomously set their children's gaming hours, will remain.
On the 11th, the partial amendment bill of the "Youth Protection Act," mainly concerning the abolition of the Shutdown System, passed the National Assembly plenary session.
The Shutdown System, which restricts online game access for teenagers under 16 from midnight to 6 a.m., will disappear from January 1 next year. The abolition of the Shutdown System, which failed to pass the National Assembly twice since its implementation in 2011, has been realized after 10 years.
The amendment removes the provisions that restricted online game access during late-night hours for teenagers under 16 and imposed penalties for violations.
Additionally, considering the negative stigma of the term "addiction," the terminology has been improved by adding the expression "over-immersion," and the amendment includes grounds to support services such as counseling, education, and treatment not only for teenagers over-immersed in internet games but also for their families.
Although the mandatory Shutdown System is abolished, the game time restriction system will be unified under the "Game Time Selection System" (Game Industry Act), where parents and children can autonomously adjust gaming hours.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to strengthen support for recovery from game over-immersion by cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and others to expand ▲healthy game use education in schools ▲convenience of the Game Time Selection System ▲expanded provision of game information to guardians, as well as expanding preventive measures and healing camps for over-immersion.
Jung Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, said, "With this legal amendment, a game over-immersion prevention policy based on the autonomy of youth rather than compulsory measures has been established. Going forward, we will do our best as the main agency for youth protection to strengthen education, counseling, and healing support for media-dependent youth in line with changes in the media environment."
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