Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

China’s gaming giant Tencent starts scanning nighttime players’ faces to bust curfew-breaking kids

China’s gaming giant Tencent starts scanning nighttime players’ faces to bust curfew-breaking kids

People playing popular mobile games during nighttime in China are now required to prove they are adults. Tencent has started using its face ID system to catch minors violating a government-mandated curfew.
The feature was launched on Tuesday for over 60 games owned by Tencent, the biggest player in the mobile game industry in China. Dubbed “Midnight Patrol,” it will occasionally ask adult players playing at night to verify their identity through a facial scan. The verification database is linked with the central public security system.

The measure enforces a government ban on gaming between 10pm and 8am, which was introduced for minors in 2019, along with other restrictions. The prohibition was meant to curb gaming addiction among children, which, the authorities argue, leads to health problems like short-sightedness and to harmful behavior in kids, like stealing money to top their accounts, and to downward sliding in school grades.

Other rules capped microtransactions, both for single purchase and in total per month, and limited the time minors can spend gaming each day. The government said the instruction was directed both at the gaming industry and at legal guardians.

Some teen gamers did what teens in all countries do about adult rules that they don’t like: they started finding loopholes to get around the ban. One of the tricks is to register an account in an adult’s name and use it. Tencent’s ‘Midnight Patrol’ is aimed against this kind of shenanigan and will eventually expand to other products marketed by the company, it said. Adults kicked out of a game at night due to a false negative scan can simply take another identity verification.

The statement also announced that adults now have an option to lock parental control settings of accounts of kids in their custody, so that any change requires facial recognition. This is supposed to make it harder for underage gamers to swipe their parents’ phones and get more privileges.

Tencent’s gaming division is a dominant player in China, estimated to hold nearly 55% of the market last year, according to Sixth Tone, a Chinese online magazine aimed at Western audiences. Its flagship game ‘Honor of Kings’ has been the highest-grossing mobile game worldwide for two years straight, with domestic players accounting for a great chunk of the base.

The new rules come as the Chinese tech sector is struggling with skepticism among international investors amid Beijing’s increased regulatory attention. The antitrust watchdog SAMR issued 22 fines this week against leading Big Tech corporations in China, including Tencent, over merger irregularities.

Last week, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the app of Didi Global to be removed from digital stores shortly after launching an investigation into its security. The regulator cited Didi’s violations in its collection and handling of personal information as the reason.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×