August 10, 2021
Prosecutors in the Chinese capital Beijing have filed a civil legal action against Tencent for violating youth protection laws with its messaging app WeChat.
Youth Mode prevents younger users from accessing payments, playing certain games and finding friends nearby, but prosecutors have not explicitly specified how the app allegedly violates Chinese law.
Tencent said it would “investigate” the claim.
WeChat, known as Weixin in China, has about 1.26 billion monthly active users.
The week before, the Chinese authorities pushed for better protection of minors from dangers on the Internet, with an article in state media calling games a “spiritual opium.”
Tencent’s share price fell more than 10% shortly after the article was published.
Chinese authorities have also announced stricter restrictions on younger players in the hugely popular game Honour of Kings. Young players may now only access the game for an hour on weekdays.
The mobile game has more than 100 million users worldwide.
In April, it was reported that Chinese authorities are preparing a hefty fine for Tencent as part of its campaign to crack down on internet giants.
For more information, read the original story on the BBC.
