On 30 August 2021, China announced it would limit the time young people can spend playing online video games. The new rules mean under-18s can only play for an hour between 8pm and 9pm on Fridays. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Debate
Maybe we can all agree that a government telling its people how much time they can spend playing video games is going too far. But should playing time be limited to a certain extent? Let’s face it, video games are fun, which is why they are being increasingly used to teach things like maths and spelling. Or is it important to encourage youngsters to find a balance between video games and other activities? What do you think?
Writing challenges
Imagine you are a character from a video game. Write two or three paragraphs of what your thoughts might be when someone is playing you.
Or
Write a set of instructions for a parent to help a child limit how much time they spend playing video games
Investigate
Talk to a relative or neighbour who was a child before video games became widely available. Ask them what their favourite games or toys were and describe their top three, explaining why they liked them and how they played with them.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download here.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to schools.theweekjunior.co.uk.