In its continued effort to make gaming safer for everyone, Xbox is introducing a new age verification requirement for adult players in the UK. This update comes in line with the UK’s Online Safety Act and its continued push to make its platform secure, respectful, and enjoyable for everyone.
In other words, users who are 18 and older, based in the UK, will begin receiving prompts to complete a one-time age verification process for logging into Xbox with a Microsoft account, as the new initiative aims to ensure age-appropriate experiences while keeping social features like voice chat, text messaging, and game invites accessible.
What Is The Online Safety Act?
The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a law that was passed in the UK in October 2023 to make the internet safer, especially for children and vulnerable users. It places legal responsibilities on tech companies to identify and reduce harmful content on their platforms.
What To Expect
“Beginning today, as part of our compliance program for the UK Online Safety Act and our ongoing investments in tools and technologies that help ensure age-appropriate experiences, players who indicate their account age as 18 and over, based in the UK, and signing into an Xbox experience with a Microsoft account will begin seeing notifications encouraging them to verify their age,” Kim Kunes, Vice President of Gaming Trust & Safety, Xbox, wrote in a news release on Monday.
“This one-time process for players in the UK ensures we can continue to provide all players on our platform with age-appropriate experiences.”
Further, starting early next year, adult players in the UK who haven’t completed the one-time verification process will see some limits on the use of social features on Xbox. While the users will be able to play and enjoy their games, the social features will be restricted to friends-only until verification is completed. However, this verification won’t affect any previous purchases, entitlements, gameplay history, achievements, or the ability to play and purchase games.
How To Verify Age
Players can verify their age using a range of secure methods, including proof of government-issued ID, age estimation, mobile provider check, and credit card check. Xbox assures players that all personal information is encrypted, kept private, and used only for the verification process. It is not stored or used for any other purpose.
To start the process, UK players can scan the QR code shown on Xbox platforms or visit: https://aka.ms/XboxUKAgeVerification. More details, including step-by-step instructions and privacy details, are available at: aka.ms/XboxUKAgeSupport.
Availability
Xbox says that the online age verification in the UK will help shape similar safety efforts globally. It will not be restricted to the UK and is expected to roll out to more regions in the future with adjustments to meet local regulations and community needs.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to player safety, so these methods may look different across regions and experiences. We’ll work with local communities, publishing partners and regulators to determine the right approach that both respects player privacy and doesn’t take away from the Xbox gameplay experience,” Kunes added.
“We’ll continue to communicate the changes we’re making to our practices and the data we collect so we can better protect players on our platform.”
If you are an adult Xbox player in the UK, verifying your age now will help you avoid any disruptions to your social gaming experience. It is a simple step that helps keep the Xbox community safer, more inclusive for everyone.
