A child plays a video game using a virtual reality headset in Vietnam. Photo: Duc Thien / Tuoi Tre
The draft amendment to Decree 147/2024, which governs the management, provision, and use of Internet services and online information, social media account authentication, and electronic games, proposes tighter controls on online gaming among children and teenagers.
Compared with the existing decree, the draft introduces three major changes concerning the target age group, total playing time, and management measures.
Instead of applying to players under 18, the proposed rules would focus on players under 16, aiming to provide greater protection for younger children and teenagers in cyberspace.
The draft would also limit the total amount of time children under 16 can spend playing all games to no more than 60 minutes per day.
Instead of merely requiring a general warning that “playing for more than 180 minutes a day may negatively affect health,” as under the existing rules, the draft would require G1 game providers to install systems that automatically display warnings every 30 minutes, with each warning appearing for at least 10 seconds.
For G2 games, warning messages would have to be displayed for at least 15 consecutive seconds.
The draft also sets out specific technical responsibilities for online game service providers.
Game publishers would be required to upgrade their account management systems to automatically track playing time and disconnect accounts used by under-16 players once they reach the 60-minute daily limit.
At the same time, registration information for accounts belonging to young players would have to be linked to and verified against information provided by their parents or legal guardians.
The proposed measures aim to minimize the risk of gaming addiction and reduce negative impacts on children's physical and mental development and schooling, as smart devices become increasingly widespread.
However, technology and education experts said the biggest challenge would be enforcement. Children could still attempt to circumvent the rules by using adults' accounts or accessing cross-border games that are not licensed in Vietnam.
Therefore, alongside technical safeguards implemented by game publishers, parental involvement, and direct monitoring of children's devices would remain key to the effectiveness of the policy.
What are G1, G2, G3, and G4 games?
Under Vietnamese regulations, online games are classified based on the level of interaction between players and game servers.
G1 games involve interaction among multiple players through a game server.
G2 games involve interaction between a player and a game server but do not allow interaction among players.
G3 games allow interaction among multiple players but do not involve interaction with a game server, using peer-to-peer technology.
G4 games are downloaded on devices and do not involve interaction between players or between players and game servers. They are also known as offline games.
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