The planned EU Kids Act has drawn criticism from game, the association representing the German games industry. The association says the regulation, designed to better protect children online, risks weakening rather than strengthening youth protection when it comes to video games.
According to information Oyun Günlüğü obtained from game, the association supports the European Commission’s goal of better protecting children and young people online. However, game says the draft focuses heavily on social media, which differs fundamentally from games, and puts Germany’s established age rating system at risk. The association warns that new European codes of conduct could override well-established national procedures, meaning the same game could be rated 12+ in one store and 16+ on another platform. This would undermine the role that ratings from the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) play in guiding parents in Germany.
89 percent of parents trust USK ratings
According to a recent survey of parents in Germany, 89 percent see USK ratings as a reliable aid when choosing video games. The USK has been issuing age ratings for more than 30 years in cooperation with the Supreme Youth Protection Authorities of the German federal states and continually refines its criteria. In 2023, it became one of the first bodies worldwide to factor in interaction and usage risks such as purchase incentives, loot boxes, pressure to play for extended periods and communication features. Germany is regarded as one of the countries with the highest level of youth protection in games, both in Europe and worldwide.
Felix Falk: Games are not social networks
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game, said the European Commission is under enormous pressure to quickly tighten youth protection rules on social media, and that the protection that works well for games is in danger of becoming collateral damage. “The EU Kids Act should make the proven USK and PEGI age ratings, which parents have trusted for decades, the standard for games in Europe. Games are not social networks, and they need their own rules. Children have a right to protection, and a right to play. To achieve this, the successful system of self-regulation must be strengthened, not weakened,” Falk said.
Three amendments requested
game is calling for three changes so the EU Kids Act better protects children and young people who play games. The first is to make established age rating systems such as the USK in Germany and PEGI at European level the European standard. The association argues the regulation should safeguard these systems and their decision-making structures rather than create entirely new procedures, keeping ratings familiar to families.
The second is regulation that suits games and is risk-based. According to game, games are a medium in their own right with their own protective mechanisms, while social networks work differently and need different rules. Protection obligations and age checks should be based on actual risks and take existing self-regulation criteria into account.
The third is to empower parents and safeguard participation. Parental controls on consoles, platforms and in games already give parents control over content, spending, communication and playing time. The association says the EU Kids Act should strengthen these tools, and that blanket access restrictions must not disproportionately limit parental responsibility or the digital participation of young people. game, a co-organiser of gamescom, is also a shareholder in the USK.
