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Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has issued a statement, saying that Sony will be taking measures to prevent so-called “gaming disorder”, a recently declared addiction by the WHO (World Health Organization).

Mainichi reports Yoshida spoke to Kyodo News and other media outlets. While he did not elaborate, Yoshida did state:

“We need to take it seriously and adopt countermeasures. […] We’ve already implemented a ratings system (to restrict players by age) and have been taking measures based on our own standards.”

This then lead onto explaining how parental control settings on PlayStation 4 can limit the amount of time a child plays a game.

While it seems a child playing games too much appears to be solved, it does beg the question what Sony will propose to prevent an adult becoming a supposed addict?

Sony already holds the patent on technologies such as shouting a brand-name at your TV to stop an advert and motion control interactive adverts. The possibilities could be far more than a timer.

The “measures based on our own standards,” likely refers to the ongoing censorship of sexual themes on PlayStation 4 to “meet global standards.“

We are unsure how these promises to counteract a supposed addiction will affect the upcoming PlayStation 5, but we will keep you posted as we learn more.

Editor’s Note: Featured image is from South Park.