The picture is colorful, the characters ** do not need to play directly There is no time limit.
Online mini-games attract young children to indulge in them
Editor's note: On December 22, the National Press and Publication Administration solicited public comments on the "Measures for the Administration of Online Games (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)", proposing that online game publishing business units should comply with the "strict control of the time period and duration of minors' use of online games" and "prohibit minors from logging in to games that are easy to cause addiction and have content that is not suitable for minors to use" Strictly enforce restrictive requirements for the provision of paid services to minors, reasonably limit the amount of spending by minors of different ages in the use of their services, and must not provide minors with paid services that are inconsistent with their civil capacity" and other provisions.
This news has once again brought the issue of minors' addiction to online games into the public eye. The latest data shows that the number of young Internet users in China is close to 200 million, and the young age of minors "touching the Internet" is obvious, and preventing minors from indulging in online games has become a consensus among families, schools, and society. However, some online games have detached from and circumvented the supervision of the "youth mode", and there are problems of inducing recharge, pornography and violence, which seriously infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of teenagers, especially young children, and need to be paid attention to urgently.
From today, the rule of law Jingwei edition will launch a series of investigative reports on "Governing the Problem of Underage Children's Addiction to Online Games in Accordance with the Law" to expose the chaos of online games and promote industry governance, so stay tuned.
Click here and join me in the search for the truth!"2023 super decompression mini game, you can play it without **!"I tried 464 times and still can't find all the turtles," ......On social platforms and short platforms, some "easy to play" games are attracting the attention of players, especially some games with characters, colorful pictures and exaggerated and grotesque titles, which have attracted the attention of many young children.
Recently, many parents reported to the reporter of "Rule of Law**" that their children always like to play games with their mobile phones "and never let go", and even play games secretly and hide mobile phones, and parents are distressed about this. These online mini-games can enter the game interface through links or applets, and do not require **, registration, passwords, verification codes, and no limit of 3 hours of gaming per week.
It has become common for young children to become addicted to online games. A field survey by the China Rural Governance Research Center of Wuhan University found that in rural areas, children as young as four or five years old can often be seen proficient in mobile games, and some primary and secondary school students even play games until two or three o'clock in the morningStudents who spend more than two hours a day playing mobile games account for more than 50% of many classesStudents form peer friendships through game groups and team-ups, while other students who want to participate must enter the game world or be ostracized.
Interviewed experts pointed out that mini program games often induce young children to indulge in them through colorful characters or exaggerated and grotesque titles and simple reward and punishment mechanisms. It is suggested that Mini Program games should be included in the scope of existing anti-addiction supervision of online games, and at the same time, technical supervision should be strengthened, and the awareness of responsibility of social network platform operators should be enhanced, so as to create a healthier and safer online environment for minors.
Young children are addicted to online games.
Fight "guerrilla warfare" with parents
The son who likes to sleep lazily gets up early for several weekends in a row, and the "beautiful name says" The plan of the day lies in the morning. Wang Yue (pseudonym) of Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, is very wary of her son's "abnormal behavior" - her son was once addicted to online games.
Because of his work, the child sometimes needs to be home alone at night, so for safety reasons, we have prepared a spare mobile phone for the child, which made him addicted to it at the age of 9 at the time. Wang Yue told reporters that a year ago, she found that her son's computer and mobile phone display screen was full of 3 pages of game APP, and after strict education several times and through the supervision of "youth mode", her son no longer played games through APP.
But recently, her son's failure to do his homework in time and his often "hot" mobile phone have aroused Wang Yue's vigilance. In the end, she discovered her son's "secret" - not that she didn't play games, but that after deleting the game app on the screen, she began to indulge in some small games that didn't need **, clicked to play, and didn't have a "teen mode".
This is nothing short of a 'guerrilla war'. Wang Yue was very helpless, because this kind of game was "nowhere to be found" and did not require real-name authentication, and the child "played as he pleased". There are also some games that enter the game interface through a link or applet, and you can enter the game without a ** client, password and verification code. These games tend to captivate children with colorful characters or exaggerated, grotesque, and intriguing titles, and children are playing more energetically than before.
I've been playing 'parkour' 'world' 'crossing' recently, etc., these are small program games, and it's very convenient not to use. It is very popular among classmates, because it is simple and convenient, and there are no restrictions, and everyone competes with each other to see who is 'better at technology' and 'higher scores' in games. When it comes to games, Wang Yue's son gushes endlessly.
The boy, who is in the fourth grade of primary school, has been playing a parkour game for more than half a year, and he says that the game is "very interesting", and that if you run far, you can "get coins" (a means of calculating points in the game), and you can redeem "**" and "skateboard" (a way to run faster and earn more points in the game). "I am highly skilled, I can play for two or three hours in a row, and I can get 20,000 or 30,000 points in a single game. Only when I really want to go to the toilet will I click to pause the game and come back to resume the game after going to the toilet. ”
In addition to "interesting", the primary school student said that the most attractive thing for him is "playing well", "unlike many games that have a time limit of 'teen mode', you also need an account and password, you can play this kind of game whenever you want, some students can play for two or three hours every day when they go home, and they can play for half a day on weekends, which I envy very much."
You can play at any time without certification.
Game ads.
How did the children find these games?
When I watched**, there were game ads or links, and I was more curious, so I clicked in. Through **, Wang Yue's son demonstrated to reporters - open a short** software, click on the three horizontal bars on the left side of the software, "Recently Used" column appears in various small program games, and the "Play games" column also appears in the life dynamics part, "so that you can play a small game repeatedly."
The reporter's investigation found that there are a large number of "click-to-enter" games on social platforms and short ** platforms. A number of mini-games are very popular, and some bloggers have filmed the game**, and the comment area is full of comments such as "where is the game link" and "how to play".
The reporter observed more than 10 such games for 3 consecutive days and found that these games generally have the following characteristics: the entry method is simple, and the interface can be entered from the small program, and real-name authentication is not required;The interface is designed without "teen mode" and anti-addiction reminders, and there is no game time limitThe main way to make money is advertising, and users do not need to recharge after watching advertisements or only need a small amount of recharge at a timeThere are cases of excessive advertising, such as accumulating **5 ads per day;There are many incentives, such as building income, upgrade building rewards to encourage users to play, with daily check-in (you can receive gifts), daily ** duration (**1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes have different rewards), specific day rewards, the cumulative number of login days this week and so on to increase user stickiness, users can get advanced tools by completing all daily tasks, and they can get rare characters by logging in to a certain extent in a row.
The reporter opens a certain applet game, and the game recommends the reporter to try out three types of games: class A (tagged as tower defense, random, competitive games), class B (synthesis, elimination, simulation games), and class C (dancing, social, romantic). The reporter experienced the pet paradise part of a mini program game labeled "synthetic": two cats with a level of 1 can be synthesized into a cat with a level of 2, two cats with a level of 2 can be synthesized into a cat with a level of 3, and so on, there are a total of 20 levels, and a maximum of 20 types of cats can be obtained.
It takes about 7 hours to clear the game, which is done under the premise that most of the ads of the reporter get revenue, and if you reject **ads**, the overall completion speed of the game will be slower than agreeing with **ads**. The game has a certain addiction, and those with a strong desire to win are easily "motivated" and spend a lot of time playing to clear the level, but this is only a small part of the mini program game, and it will take several times more time to experience the mini game.
In addition, the reporter noticed that there is a phenomenon of "advertising set advertising" in Mini Program games, that is, in the process of the game, the way of giving away game currency is used to induce users to advertise other games, so that users are attracted by another game from one game.
In the second half of the game, the reporter selects**advertisement** and records, within 30 minutes, the reporter clicks on 21 advertisements with a duration of 30 seconds**, these advertisements** are also "interspersed" with links to other games, and within 30 minutes, the reporter clicks on a total of 15 mini-games.
I can play all afternoon, link from one game to another, never be the same, and never get bored. Li Yuanyuan (pseudonym), a sixth-grade student in Jinan, Shandong Province, said, "The software is still very 'smart', I like to play **pattern elimination games, and the advertisement will 'accurately' recommend such small games for me." ”
The reporter experienced 30 mini program games, 27 of which have no game time limit, no real-name authentication and registration, and no "youth mode". Less than a third of the games say "suitable for ages 12 and up" or "suitable for ages 8 and up", but there are no other restraints other than this reminder.
Lack of hierarchical thinking design.
Weak restraint on children.
According to Yao Jinju, a professor at the Law School of Beijing University of Foreign Chinese, the content of such games is attractive, the form is easy to be obtained by young children, and children have a group identity with the game, which will lead to the phenomenon of "addiction" to the game.
Regarding the phenomenon that such mini program games do not set up "youth mode", Yao Jinju analyzed that such small games are not independent software (APP), and are generally nested in online social platforms and short ** platforms. Taking a social software as an example, the various mini programs accessed are often directly logged in as social accounts. Therefore, when children are exposed to such games through their parents' accounts, the system cannot effectively determine the identity of the target who uses the Mini Program unless the "Youth Mode" is manually selected.
Although the content of such small games seems simple and boring, they often attract young minors through colorful ** characters or exaggerated, grotesque, and titles that arouse children's curiosity, and then use a simple reward and punishment mechanism as a means of psychological control, so that every operation has immediate consequences such as rewards or punishments. Every operation can get instant feedback, even adults, out of the human instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm, the subconscious will become addicted to a lot of boring, simple, repetitive things. Young children are more likely to indulge in it because their minds are not yet mature. Yao Jinju said.
Yao Jinju believes that Mini Program game developers also lack hierarchical thinking and corresponding design for user groups. As an emerging field, mini program games are not as well regulated as traditional online games. As for standard requirements such as setting "youth mode" or user age thresholds, Mini Program games are still in a gray area.
Yao Zhiwei, a professor at the Law School of Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, told reporters that considering factors such as the degree of collection of personal information and user experience by real-name authentication, some large companies will adopt the mode of first-time real-name authentication, that is, users do not need to authenticate again after the first real-name authentication. If the social media account has been verified by the parent's real name, then the program will default to an adult using the phone according to reasonable trust.
It is necessary not only to protect minors, but also to consider the collection and use of minors' personal sensitive information, and not to disturb users too much, which is the difficulty of preventing addiction to Mini Program games. Yao Zhiwei said.
The main reason why children are addicted to online games is that they have more leisure and after-school time, and there is a lot of free time to spend freely, and if there are no other extracurricular activities to fill the time, games can easily enter their lives. In addition, it is more convenient for children to have access to mobile phones and game networks, and it is easy to form the habit of playing games. In addition, the 'teen mode' of some games is not open during breaks, such as the 'teen mode' that does not exist from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., and this kind of game is not too restrictive for children. Yi Zhuo, a researcher at the China Rural Governance Research Center of Wuhan University, said.
Strengthen the sense of responsibility of the platform.
Strengthen internal compliance reviews.
So, is this kind of mini program game nested in online social platforms and short ** platforms an online game?
Dong Yuanyuan, a senior partner of Beijing Tiantai Law Firm, gave a positive answer. She told reporters that the current approval process for publishing domestic online games divides online games into two categories, including computer online games and mobile games. According to the "Notice on the Management of Mobile Game Publishing Services", mobile games refer to mobile phones and other mobile intelligent terminals as the operating carrier, and the game works are used by the public or interactively through the information network. This type of Mini Program game meets the current definition of online games by the Press and Publication Administration.
According to Dong Yuanyuan, at present, some online platform users run with "background real names" in the process of playing mini games, that is, if they have completed real-name authentication on the platform, they do not need to be re-authenticated when logging in to the game, and there is often no limit on the time of use. "In such cases, the online review of Mini Programs should be strengthened to verify whether the actual functions of the Mini Program are inconsistent with the content submitted by the developer for review, so as to reduce the situation where Mini Program games avoid anti-addiction and real-name authentication online. ”
In order to promote the development of mini program games nested in social platforms and short ** platforms in a more standardized and standardized healthy direction, on August 8, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Notice on Carrying out the Filing of Mobile Internet Applications.
On September 20, 2023, the Regulations on the Protection of Minors Online (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") were passed, which will come into force on January 1, 2024. The "Regulations" have a separate chapter on "Prevention and Control of Internet Addiction", which stipulates the responsibilities of administrative organs such as for education, health, and market regulation, schools and teachers, guardians of minors, and providers of online products and services for the prevention and treatment of minors' Internet addiction.
It is recommended that the "Regulations" be used as the basis, cooperate with relevant regulations and policies such as online games and internet applications, and clearly include Mini Program games in the scope of existing online game addiction prevention supervision. Strengthen technical supervision. Technical means such as identity verification and SMS verification can be used to strengthen the standard supervision of nested Mini Program gamesAfter confirming that the user is a teenager, the anti-addiction system is turned on to limit the game time. Strengthen platform supervision. Enhance the awareness of responsibility of social and short** network platform operators, and promote platforms that provide nested services to conduct regular internal compliance reviews of accessed Mini Program games. Yao Jinju said.
At the same time, the interviewed experts also mentioned that it is the common responsibility of the whole society to create a clear cyberspace for minors from multiple angles and in all directions. The "Regulations" will further strengthen the responsibilities of the state, society, schools, families and other entities regarding the protection of minors online, and provide strong laws for improving the system for the protection of minors online, building online security barriers for minors, effectively protecting the physical and mental health of minors, and protecting the lawful rights and interests of minors.
Hang Xiaoping, director of the Internet Literacy Education Research Center of Beijing Union University, called on parents to actively perform family education and guardianship duties, and combine the technical defense line of Internet companies and relevant legal systems to create a healthier and safer online environment for minors.
Hang Xiaoping said that the family is the main place for minors to surf the Internet, and parents have an irreplaceable role in preventing minors from becoming addicted to the Internet. Therefore, parents need to improve their awareness of the Internet, guide their children to use the Internet reasonably and scientifically, actively pay attention to their children's psychophysiology, behavioral habits, etc., contact relevant departments in time when encountering problems, and consult relevant professionals in time to find solutions. In addition, online platforms, game operators, and so forth should establish and complete anti-addiction systems for minors, avoiding products and services that induce addiction, and at the same time monitor and promptly resolve issues that may lead to addiction, and periodically disclose the anti-addiction situation to the public. (Trainee reporter Ding Yi, reporter Zhao Li).
*:Rule of law**.