Abolished from January 1... Into History After 10 Years
Unified Under the 'Game Time Selection System'
Meaning of the selective shutdown system. Photo by Asia Economy DB
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The internet game shutdown system will be abolished starting from the new year. Adolescents under the age of 16 will be able to choose their usage time autonomously.
On the 31st, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) announced that with the enforcement of the partial amendment to the Youth Protection Act from January 1 next year, the shutdown system will disappear and be unified under the 'Game Time Selection System' of the Game Industry Act. The Game Time Selection System allows parents or legal guardians of adolescents under 18 to block internet game access during specific times, and game companies with annual sales exceeding 30 billion KRW are required to implement it.
In the amendment to the Youth Protection Act, MOGEF included the terms 'addiction' and 'over-immersion' related to internet games, removed restrictions on game provision during late-night hours (0:00?6:00), and deleted penalty provisions for violations. It also added provisions to provide counseling, education, and treatment services not only for addicted or over-immersed youth but also for their families.
The game shutdown system, introduced and enforced on November 20, 2011, has been abolished after 10 years. MOGEF abolished the shutdown system considering environmental changes where the shutdown system did not apply to mobile games and adolescents could access various media during late-night hours such as SNS (Social Network Services), OTT (Internet video services), and YouTube.
The controversy over abolishing the shutdown system was triggered by 'Minecraft.' Microsoft (MS), the operator of Minecraft, announced that it would apply the shutdown system to users under 16 during the account integration process, which caused significant backlash from teenage users. As public opinion calling for the abolition of the shutdown system spread, calls for MOGEF to abolish it were also mentioned. In response, MOGEF selected the improvement of the shutdown system as a 'Regulatory Challenge' task in June and, after discussions with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and others, decided to abolish the shutdown system.
Kim Kyung-sun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, said, "The system has been improved to guarantee adolescents' self-determination rights and autonomous choice within the family regarding game use," adding, "In cooperation with related ministries, we will expand education and information provision on game use, and as the main agency for youth protection, we will strengthen support for the healthy daily recovery of youth by operating internet and smartphone overdependence healing camps."
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