Steam bug adds “youth anti-addiction system” to accounts
Thankfully Valve is always on top of issues like this
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In a recent Reddit post, a user by the name of u/SBryce68 posted a message of concern on r/steam. The user noted that they had seen a message prompt when launching any game that seemed to be a part of the “youth anti-addiction system. Here’s how Steam bug adds “youth anti-addiction system” to accounts.
Steam bug Youth anti-addiction system
u/SBryce68 is referring to an anti-addiction system designed to safeguard the youth of China from excessive video game consumption. This system imposes strict regulations, setting specific timeframes and limits to prevent addiction.
It enforces predetermined schedules, ensuring that individuals either have restricted gaming hours or are allowed to play only for a designated duration. The primary aim is to protect the well-being of young individuals and promote a balanced approach to gaming.
u/SBryce68 then went on to explain that they do not live in China, so there’s no way that they should be seeing this message.
Steam Youth anti-addiction bug is resolved
Just two hours later, a verified Valve employee named u/cboyd_valve posted a comment on u/SBryce68’s post, explaining that they had resolved the issue. They wrote:
“There was a bug included in today’s update of the Steam Client Beta that accidentally displayed the message above when starting a game. We have updated the beta client with a fix for the issue. We apologize for the confusion that it caused.
You can update your client to the latest version by selecting Steam -> Check For Steam Client Updates in the main client window.”
If you were affected by this prompt, it is recommended that you manually check for a Steam update if you haven’t received an update automatically.
Final word
In a surprising turn of events, the mystery behind the unexpected message prompt related to the “youth anti-addiction system” on Steam has been resolved. Just two hours after u/SBryce68 raised the issue, a verified Valve employee named u/cboyd_valve responded with an explanation.
It turns out that the message was a result of a bug in the recent update of the Steam Client Beta. The bug has since been fixed, and users can update their clients to the latest version to rectify the issue. The prompt was an unintended occurrence, causing temporary confusion for users.
The prompt and its association with the youth anti-addiction system were not applicable outside of China. The prompt’s appearance was purely a technical glitch, now resolved by Valve.
Imagine loading up your favorite game to see a message that your playtime had been limited to merely 1.5 hours playtime between the hours of 8 AM to 10 PM.
