KIDS implementation for game developers
The proposal treats games as a distinct category. Start with Article 15 and the provisions it actually incorporates.
The game-specific requirements
- Avoid designs that encourage compulsive or excessive use, including specified re-engagement and regular-return incentives.
- Apply the safe-default settings referenced in Article 15.
- Require the appropriate contact pre-approval, group agreement and blocking controls.
- Enable and control under-13 access through guardian tools.
- Put safeguards around attempts to entice minors into risky contact on other services.
- For platforms hosting user-created games, provide software and organisational measures supporting creators’ compliance.
Three common mistakes
First, the social-account restriction in Article 6 is not a blanket under-15 gaming ban. A hybrid service may still need assessment against multiple definitions.
Second, Article 15 imports selected social-service provisions. It does not simply apply every recommendation, screenshot or purchase rule to all games. Existing consumer law and other obligations remain relevant.
Third, a UI-only control is easy to bypass. Implement permission checks in the server paths that actually create contacts, change settings and grant access.
From proof to permission
| Step | Provider action | Valvur’s proposed role |
|---|---|---|
| Classify | Record the service and relevant features. | A maintained policy mapping. |
| Verify | Use the appropriate age and authority route. | Proof-provider adapters. |
| Enforce | Apply permissions across backend and clients. | SDK and policy decisions. |
| Revoke | Invalidate access when permissions change. | Scoped revocation and acknowledgements. |
| Demonstrate | Test critical cases and retain minimal evidence. | A provider-controlled evidence export. |
Partnership
Connect age assurance and family permissions to your game’s controls. Discuss your integration.
Why Valvur fits a game team’s workflow
Valvur connects gaming identity, Trust APIs, Safety SDKs and family permissions. The proposed first integration connects age and guardian checks to the moments that matter: entering the game, accepting a contact, joining a group, enabling an AI conversation and requesting a sensitive purchase.
Product and engineering own enforcement; trust and safety owns operational response; legal maps the service categories; the publisher remains accountable. Valvur’s KIBI and parent guidance add education and support to the compliance workflow. See the proposed integration sequence.
Games with chats: prepare, but classify carefully
Article 15 explicitly addresses online games and risky off-platform enticement. A game therefore need not become a social network before child-safety controls matter. Conversely, adding chat does not automatically import the under-15 social-account rule. Public profiles, discovery, sharing, livestreams and embedded AI need separate analysis. Read the scope matrix.