The UK government has reaffirmed in parliament its policy to maintain matchmaking with strangers in online games for users under 16 while restricting communication. The plan allows minors to log in and play alongside unfamiliar users, but blocks features that enable in-game communication with them.
| 📒 | - Under-16s: Matchmaking with strangers maintained, chat restricted - Police cases show contact in games moving to other apps - Implementation date and targeted games for feature regulations undecided |
Ian Murray, UK Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Online Safety, stated on November 2 during a House of Commons petition debate on social media restrictions for under-16s that games would be included in follow-up "feature-specific regulations." Mentioning 'Roblox', Minister Murray cited the risks of young users met in games being moved to other platforms, leading to grooming and exploitation.
This off-platform transition is also documented in real UK police records. According to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, a man initiated contact with a user who was 14 at the time in 2024 on 'Roblox' before moving communications to another messaging app. He pleaded guilty to offences including sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to 28 months in prison in April of this year.
Examples of separating gameplay from chat functionality can also be found among game companies. Epic Games' "Cabined Accounts" allow minors to play titles like 'Fortnite' before obtaining parental consent, but block voice and free-form text chat with other users. This applies to players under 13 or under their country's age of digital consent.
Epic's own settings allow chat to be unlocked with parental consent, and the restriction scope is not limited to strangers alone. This system differs in age criteria and permission conditions from the under-16 regulations announced by the UK government.
In its online child protection plans announced in June, the UK government also presented a model where players match with unknown users but cannot directly chat. For 16- and 17-year-olds, the plan is to have stranger communication features turned off by default, allowing users to manually toggle them.
The implementation timeline of late spring 2027 proposed by the government applies to social media access restrictions for under-16s. Communicating with strangers in games and other services will be addressed through follow-up regulations, with the targeted games, chat methods to be blocked, and enforcement dates not yet disclosed.
