Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, best known for its WeChat messaging service and gaming, on Saturday officially unveiled the Digital Natives Action to help teenagers increase internet literacy and develop healthy web surfing habits.

To implement the program, Tencent will work with government authorities, universities, experts and third-party organizations to offer a wide range of network literacy courses and learning tools.

"Considering the anxious parents and teachers amid the booming digital wave, Tencent has the responsibility to make moves," Tencent vice-president Yao Xiaoguang said on Saturday at the first offline open class in Beijing.

"On the one hand, we will provide teachers and parents the latest research and related courses. On the other hand, we also will partner with more entities, paying more attention to teenagers' network education," Yao said.

During the open class, Yao released an open letter to young people, asking them to put down their electronic devices and spend at least one hour a week with their parents. That way, they will be able to enjoy uninterrupted quality time with their parents, such as in reading books.

Entering the digital age, the internet now has a role to play in almost every corner of people's daily lives. However, unforeseen problems pop up. Not all teenagers are able to balance their daily lives and the virtual world, and internet addiction is an increasing problem.

To better cater to the younger generation, Tencent has adjusted its strategies and launched more than 20 products and projects accordingly.

In early 2017, the company unveiled its Tencent games guardian platform to help parents monitor their children's gaming accounts and manage their gaming behavior, such as time and consumption management and reminders.

Statistics from Tencent shows that as of June this year, the platform is tied to more than 4.3 million accounts, covering all games owned by the firm. And the time children spent on games fell by 25 percent.

Li Tao, a Beijing-based game designer, said that while playing games excessively may lead to addiction, some games can boost mental skills and creativity, develop children's interests in new fields, and broaden their knowledge.

"I suggest that parents should choose suitable mobile games for their children," Li added.