UK social media rules could curb in-game chat innovation

Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out plans to ban social media access for users under 16 and to restrict in-game features such as livestreaming and chatting with strangers. The proposals follow a national consultation that closed three weeks ago and are expected to take effect early next year.

Under the draft rules, mainstream social networks would be off-limits to under-16s. Game developers and platform operators would be required to block or limit functions that enable contact with strangers, including voice and text chat and livestream capability. The government has not proposed a blanket ban on videogames with social features, but products available to minors would need design changes to comply.

Dr. Celia Pontin, director of public policy and public affairs at consultancy Flux Digital Policy, warned the short timetable increases the risk of unintended consequences and operational challenges for developers. She noted regulators may not fully recognise technical and social differences between social networks and games.

Pontin highlighted that companies will face technical and design hurdles to meet any legal standard for safer in-game contact. Developers may need to build systems that let children use chat only with known contacts or otherwise restrict access for minors, requiring changes to game and platform architecture beyond basic age checks.

Industry uncertainty could slow the introduction of new communication features and push smaller studios to remove or avoid comms tools because of compliance costs. Pontin pointed to proximity chat and other social mechanics in cooperative indie titles such as Peak, Lethal Company and R.E.P.O. as examples that might be altered or dropped if age-verification proves expensive.

The proposals also address so-called “addictive features” on social platforms. Pontin warned restrictions could affect long-standing game elements such as trophies, log-in rewards and player performance comparisons, which developers use to guide progression and reward play.

Pontin expressed concern that regulators might use time spent playing as a blunt metric for harm, a measure that could affect story-driven and open-ended games designed to be immersive and rewarding.

The government plans to publish further guidance this autumn, with officials expected to clarify how rules will treat different forms of online contact and engagement. Regulators in other countries are monitoring the UK approach, and several governments are considering similar age-based restrictions that could influence how companies design multiplayer experiences beyond Britain.

Earlier, we reported that Roblox launched age-based accounts, Kids and Select.