Beware the gaming rabbit hole!

The news of a 13-year-old girl in China who allegedly pilfered $64,000 from her mother and splurged a staggering $449,500 on mobile app games within a mere four-month span has created a frenzy across social media platforms. This incident sheds light on the girl’s reported addiction to online gaming, showcasing the potential dangers of excessive screen time.

Hailing from the central Chinese province of Henan, the young girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, is a student enrolled in secondary school. As per the South China Morning Post, she resorted to stealing money from her mother, driven by her irresistible obsession with mobile gaming applications.

The revelation of the theft came to light when one of the girl’s teachers expressed concerns regarding her extensive phone usage during class, hinting at a possible issue with pay-to-play online games. Prompted by these suspicions, the girl’s mother, Wang, decided to inspect her bank account balance, only to be astounded by the realization that a meager 0.5 yuan (equivalent to approximately US$0.07) was all that remained.