Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo Sued Over Teen Gaming Addiction in China
The symbolic 10-yuan claim shifts the focus from compensation to pressuring major game companies to close loopholes in China's existing youth gaming restrictions.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
A man in Henan province, China, has filed a lawsuit against Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo, and 37 Interactive Entertainment, claiming his 18-year-old son's gaming addiction led to a drug overdose. He seeks only 10 yuan (about 230 yen) in damages, stating the suit is not about money but about demanding stronger addiction prevention measures from game companies.
A father in Tanghe County, Nanyang, Henan, has taken four of China's largest game companies to court. Qin Hua, a pseudonym, filed the suit after his 18-year-old son, Qin Lintai, was hospitalized on May 22 for overdosing on 18 antipyretic tablets. The son survived but could not get out of bed the next day.
Qin Hua attributes the overdose to his son's severe gaming habit. The son, a vocational school student, had logged 1,868 hours on a game account since March 2024, stayed up until 3 or 4 a.m. nightly, and lost nearly 10 kilograms. The son has refused to explain the overdose.
The father seeks just 10 yuan, roughly 230 yen, and says the lawsuit is not for money. He argues current industry addiction measures are insufficient and wants companies to prevent workarounds like using a sibling's ID to bypass age checks. The claims have not yet been verified by the court.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.