Fifth Annual Report on Minors Protection in Mobile Games (2025 Edition)

Southern Finance Digital Entertainment Research Group Releases Fifth Annual Report on Minors Protection in Mobile Games (2025 Edition)

On this year’s Children’s Day, the Southern Finance Digital Entertainment Research Group launched its fifth consecutive annual report—Evaluation of Minors Protection Mechanisms in 20 Mobile Games (2025)—building upon assessments conducted from 2021 to 2024. The report provides a third-party analysis of anti-addiction systems implemented by major Chinese game developers, with a focus on juvenile mode compliance and social interaction safeguards—key topics in current internet governance.

Upgraded 5.0 Evaluation Framework

This year’s assessment introduced social interaction protections as a new core metric, examining how games shield minors from risks during multiplayer engagement.

Key Findings from the Five-Part Series:

Part 1: Overview

• Average score: 79.1/100 (near “high protection” tier)
• Critical flaw: Mini World allowed under-8 users to make purchases; loopholes found in channel-server anti-addiction systems.

Part 2: Pre-Game Barriers

• Shell Shockers and others failed to clarify commercial use of personal data
• Parental notification mechanisms showed no improvement since 2024

Part 3: In-Game Protections

• “Juvenile Mode” features improved significantly
• Reiterated Mini World’s underage spending vulnerability

Part 4: Post-Purchase Remedies

• Sword of Wilderness and My Sword Diary customer service denied refunds for virtual currency claims
• Varied efficiency in parental communication channels
• Part 5: Recommendations
• Identified parental engagement gaps and delayed customer service response
• Proposed systemic upgrades to eliminate “blind spots” in protection

Compliance Spotlight: Time Restrictions

• All 20 games enforced mandatory playtime limits per China’s 2021 policy:
• 1 hour/day (Fri/Sat/Sun/holidays, 8–9 PM only)
• Zero access on other weekdays

Social Interaction Risks

While multiplayer features enhance gameplay, the report flagged:
⚠️ “CP relationships” (in-game romantic partnerships) frequently lead to scams and psychological harm
⚠️ Only 35% of games auto-disabled private messages from strangers in juvenile mode

Performance Rankings

• Top scorers (95/100): Honor of Kings, Minecraft
• Lowest (68/100): Under the Cloudsea, Happy Eliminate

Evaluated Games (Developer in Parentheses):

Honor of Kings (Tencent), Minecraft (NetEase), Eggy Party (NetEase), DreamStar (Tencent), Honkai: Star Rail (miHoYo), Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games), Arena of Valor: World (Moonton), Genshin Impact (miHoYo), South China Scenery (Coconut Island), Mini World (Miniwan), Sword and Fairy World (CMGE), Subway Surfers (Dreamsky), Mole’s World (Taomee), Three Kingdoms Tactics (Bilibili), Balloon Paradise (Giant), Infinity Warmth (Paper), AFK Arena (Lilith), DDTank Adventure (7Road), Under the Cloudsea (Century Huatong), Happy Eliminate (Happy Elements).

Methodology: Researchers simulated underage gameplay during permitted hours, evaluating protections across pre-play, in-game, post-play, and special scenarios.