The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has released new guidance for gaming developers to protect children, including encouraging them to take a break from screens after extended gaming sessions.
According to government figures, 93% of children in the UK play video games, with younger children averaging 2-3 hours a day, and older kids playing around 3 or more.
Leanne Doherty, Group Manager at the ICO, said: “Gaming plays a central part in so many young people’s lives, and the community and interaction around games can be a child’s first steps into the digital world. We want those first experiences to be positive ones, and the recommendations we’ve published today are there to support game developers.”
The Children’s Code guidance recommends “age-appropriate warnings” for players to step away from screens after extended gaming sessions, and that developers should make sure kids don’t feel pressured to play for prolonged periods out of fear they’ll miss out on rewards or progress.
The ICO also wants game designers to identify if players are aged below 18 “with a reasonable degree of certainty”, and put measures in place to stop kids lying about their age. Companies should not use “nudge techniques” to encourage children to make poor privacy decisions, such as having to make a social media account in order to not miss out on extra features or rewards, or being forced to review games on platforms such as Instagram.
Doherty added: “The Children’s Code makes clear that children are not like adults online, and their data needs greater protections. We want children to be online, learning, playing and experiencing the world, but with the right protections in place to do so.”
The ICO has released new guidance to ensure gaming developers encourage kids to take a break from screens after extended gaming sessions. Government figures show that 93% of children in the UK play video games, with younger kids playing an average of 2-3 hours a day and older kids playing around 3 or more. The guidance also recommends that developers identify players aged below 18 with a reasonable degree of certainty and put measures in place to stop kids lying about their age. Companies should not use “nudge techniques” to encourage children to make poor privacy decisions. Leanne Doherty, Group Manager at the ICO, said: “We want children to be online, learning, playing and experiencing the world, but with the right protections in place to do so.”
