The EU Kids Act is set to be presented to the European Parliament on Thursday. If passed, it will significantly affect gamers of all ages by imposing age restrictions for accessing various online platforms, including social media and certain gaming services.
This proposed legislation aims to protect children from online harm and has been under discussion for over a year. It will require social media and video-sharing platforms to verify users’ ages when they create new accounts, and this requirement will also extend to AI chatbots and online games deemed risky for minors. However, it will not affect industrial AI or educational online services.
This follows recent moves by companies like PlayStation and Steam to enforce age verification measures. PlayStation began its age verification checks in the UK and Ireland, where users can verify their ages with methods such as facial scans or IDs. Similarly, Australia has implemented age verification for R18+ games on Steam, requiring users to provide an Australian credit card.
In the U.S., no federal-level age verification laws exist, though some state-level regulations are being discussed amid ongoing debates about online privacy and child safety. The situation has prompted companies like Discord to pause their global age verification rollouts after security breaches.
Overall, the EU Kids Act represents a significant step in the discussion surrounding online safety for children and the implications for gamers globally.
