More woes for Naspers: Tencent accused of ‘harming kids in profit pursuit’

Chinese internet giant Tencent is facing scrutiny over the addictiveness — especially among younger children — of its smash, fantasy role-playing mobile gaming hit ‘Honour of Kings’.

Chinese newspaper The People’s Daily has blasted Tencent for harming children in the pursuit of profit, sparking a fall in the company’s share price on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index.

Naspers, which has a 34% stake in Tencent, also experienced a fall on Tuesday. Honour of Kings is key to Tencent as it helped boost the company’s mobile gaming revenue by 57% in the first quarter.

Tencent subsequently has promised to limit playing time for younger children amid the debacle. But this saga is the latest tricky challenge for Naspers, which has also been accused of value destruction.