The UK recently implemented additional checks under its Online Safety Act on its citizens. Among other things, the act makes it so that porn websites need to verify that visitors are of age first. This has extended to way beyond saucy online content, as Microsoft is also complying, and implementing similar requirements on Xbox. Worse still, the Windows company says that it will be extending these requirements beyond the UK.
Similar to the porn part, Microsoft says that Xbox players in the UK will have to indicate that they are 18 and over on their account. This is optional for now, but starting early 2026, those who don’t do it will see that “their use of social features on Xbox will be come limited to friends only”. Then, on the announcement page, there’s the usual claim that info provided during the verification process is protected and not stored or used for any other purpose.
Beyond that though is a section that reads “The Future of Safety at Xbox Globally”. The major takeaway here is that “we expect to roll out age verification process to more regions in the future”. And this will be done using learnings “from the UK process”. For what it’s worth, Microsoft acknowledges that “there is no one-size-fits-all solution to player safety”. Also added is that “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”, the company adds. Whether that’s possible or if the two are mutually exclusive is up for debate. Either way though, there’s no indication as to whether this will eventually apply here. Service-wise, the only thing that’s Xbox locally is the PC Game Pass.
(Source: Xbox)
