Tencent Deploys Facial Recognition to Detect Minors Gaming at Night

The Chinese tech company will use its “Midnight Patrol” system to keep tabs on minors’ screen time as it continues to combat gaming addiction among younger players.

China’s gaming giant Tencent Games has launched one of the most-talked about — and controversial — means to curb excessive play time among children and teenagers so far: a time-sensitive facial recognition system.

Starting Tuesday, the gaming platform’s facial verification system — linked with big data from the central public security system — will help monitor players and detect individuals who spend a significant amount of time online at night, according to the company. The initiative, dubbed “Midnight Patrol,” is aimed at deterring minors from using “tricks” to pose as adults between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

“We will conduct a face screening for accounts registered with real names and that have played for a certain period of time at night,” Tencent Games said Tuesday. “Anyone who refuses or fails the face verification will be treated as a minor, and as outlined in the anti-addiction supervision of Tencent’s game health system, and kicked offline.”

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