Chinese regulators urge gaming companies to protect children

BEIJING (AP) — State media say Chinese regulators have summoned gaming companies including Tencent Holdings and NetEase Inc. and urged them to protect the physical and mental health of children. Xinhua News Agency says the companies were instructed by the regulators to strictly abide by new restrictions on gaming time for minors and prohibit “harmful” game content, such as violence or portrayal of “sissy” men. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a “national rejuvenation” with tighter Communist Party control of business, education, culture and religion. In recent weeks, the party has restricted children’s access to online games to three hours a week and is trying to discourage what it sees as unhealthy attention to celebrities.