Lok Sabha Question No. 1164 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Excess use of Online Games
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Vishnu Dutt Sharma, Bhagirath Chaudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1164

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## EXCESS USE OF ONLINE GAMES

## 1164. SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA: SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government is cognisant that a new trend of violence abetting video games, full of violence, is picking up among children and adolescents of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether the Government is aware that there are a large number of games available on the internet which are not only wasting the time of our young generation but also making them addicted to gambling due to which the youth and their parents are facing huge financial loss;
- (c)    whether the  Government has taken or planned some measures to address these issues and the details thereof including ban, if any;
- (d)  whether the Government in view of harmful excess use of online games, is planning to limit the gamers under 18 years to just 3 hours of online games per week and make industry responsible for enforcing the restrictions, like China; and
- (e)   if so, the details thereof?

## A NSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) and (b): The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. With the expansion of the Internet and more and more Indians coming online, the potential for  Indians  being  exposed  to  content  depicting  violence  has  grown.  Online  game  content  too  is  one  among various  categories  of  online  content  offered  by  online  gaming  platform  intermediaries,  which  is  picking  up around the world, including among children and adolescents in India. The Government is aware of the possible risks  and  challenges  associated  with  the  online  games  including  that  of  violence  abetting  video  games, addiction to it, and consequential financial loss.

(c)  to  (e):  To  help  achieve  the  aim  of  making  Internet  Open,  Safe  and  Trusted  and  Accountable,the  Central Government,  in  exercise  of  powers  conferred  by  the  Information  Technology  Act,  2000,  has  made  the Information  Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital  Media Ethics  Code) Rules, 2021.  These  rules cast specific obligation on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, to observe due diligence and provide that if they fail to observe such due diligence, they shall no longer be exempt from their liability under law for third-party information or data or communication link hosted by them. Such due diligence includes the following:

- (i) The rules cast specific obligation on intermediaries to observe due diligence by making reasonable efforts to cause its user not to host, display, publish, transmit or share any information that is harmful to child, causes  incitement  to  the  commission  of  any  cognizable  offence,  relates  to  encourages  gambling,  or violates any law for the time being in force;
- (ii) To  provide,  upon  receipt  of  an  order  from  a  lawfully  authorised  government  agency,  information  or assistance for prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution under law;
- (iii) In case an intermediary is a significant social media intermediary ( i.e., an intermediary having more than 50 lakh registered users in India), to additionally observe due diligence in terms of appointing a Chief Compliance Officer and a nodal contact person for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies.

No  proposal  to  limit  the  amount  of  time  spent  by  gamers  in  playing  online  games  is  currently  under consideration of the Government.

******