Youth Gamers on L.A. City Council Radar

The Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance July 7 to restrict the hours in which children and young adults may frequent Internet cafes, and to require the businesses to install video cameras, Reuters reported. Motivated by recent violence linked to a bunch of Counterstrike gamers in Los Angeles, city officials decided to crack down specifically on cybercafes with five or more computers, Internet access, and those used for multiplayer games. Youths 18 years and younger may not enter cybercafes on school days between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. or after 10 p.m., according to the ordinance, which is planned to take effect in about two months.