We've got the Online Safety Act in the UK, and now we're about to have new rules "to protect children online" - although it mostly affects social media. This is not the usual sort of news we would cover here on GamingOnLinux, but these type of laws tend to have a lot of knock-on effects.
So what exactly has been announced? Starting sometime next year, the UK will follow Australia to completely ban social media for under 16s. This includes the likes of Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). While WhatsApp and Signal appear to currently be exempt.
The UK gov said that high-risk features like livestreaming and "strangers being able to contact children" will also be restricted for under 16s on "other online services like gaming" which will require "stronger requirements for age checks on platforms". It will also hit AI chatbots, specifically those of a "romantic companion" which will be limited to 18+.
I would expect the likes of Reddit, Discord, Bluesky, Threads to also end up included.
In another government post they confirmed that while the law will affect communication features in games, it won't stop under 16s from playing online games.
When children reach 16 / 17 they will be able to access social media but "live streaming, and stranger communication including in gaming, will be switched off by default for these ages".
How will you prove your age across various platforms? Interestingly, the UK gov actually suggests simply using the account age is good enough (or has a linked credit card - like Steam, or an email address that's age verified) but the rules have not yet been formalised. They said Ofcom will "set out in the coming months different options for effective forms of age assurance for proving whether someone is over 16 that are accurate, robust, reliable, and fair".
What's the actual time-line here? They're not being exactly clear. They said the changes should be implemented "in Spring 2027" with the first set of regulations due to be laid before the end of the year.
The end result is that we are all going to have to verify our identities just to access more and more of the internet in the UK. We're past the point of a slippery slope; when it comes to privacy, we are staring down a massive cliff-edge. This is very much a Papers, Please situation for all UK adults.
Just think about how this will affect gaming - any game that has text or voice chat is then likely included (just like with the Online Safety Act - but now this too). It all depends on exactly how Ofcom will lay down the law.
The era of the open internet is over.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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As with software, people have very different opinions on how our countries should be and what values we should have. From what I know, the UK, Canada, Australia, and even the US are all trying to do this right now. Obviously, the countries I listed are all very different in many ways, but for some reason all their governments suddenly believe it's a priority to take on the responsibility of "saving kids" from social media. The fact that these countries are all doing this at the same time is very peculiar, and I find it very hard to believe that this wasn't planned by them years ago. You'd have to be a complete idiot to believe that this is actually about the welfare of our children.
As boring as it is, carefully read the bills your government is trying to pass. If you're into all the "left vs right" and "us vs them" nonsense, it's time to put that away. Put away the Reddit, the social media, and the Pravda news sources - and pay close attention.
Mountain Man 38 minutes ago
Mohandevir 28 minutes ago
my old gmail account is 22 years old, maybe I should put it up for sale 😆
Quoting: MohandevirIt became a real dumptser fire since the creation of these "anti-social medias". Can't say I blame the governments.They only became interested in banning social media when they realised kids listen to influencer lies more than they listen to politician lies. Can't have any of that. 😝
Mohandevir 10 minutes ago
Quoting: pb"C'est pas faux!" 😂Quoting: MohandevirIt became a real dumptser fire since the creation of these "anti-social medias". Can't say I blame the governments.They only became interested in banning social media when they realised kids listen to influencer lies more than they listen to politician lies. Can't have any of that. 😝
Thing is, I remember an internet where there was close to no willfully disclosed propaganda or misinformation just to generate clicks and where there was no annoying ads everywhere, everytime you scroll a page. No algorithm trying to steer you into an echo chamber, neither. It really felt free, back then.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 15 Jun 2026 at 11:11 pm UTC
Quoting: Mountain ManEngland is becoming less free by the day.
The era of the open internet is over.Too many people have forgotten that democracy doesn't end the second you leave the voting booth during an election season. At the end of the day, this is actually our fault as citizens for letting our governments do this - and apparently we're still content to let them continue on with it.
In Canada, our MPs in parliament get paid around $200k+ a year; it used to be around $150k a year, but they've decided to give themselves a raise just because they can. During a time when $100 barely gets you anything at the grocery store and gas is $2.05 a litre, this is what our $200k a year politicians have decided to waste our time and money on. I reckon this is the exact same situation in any of the Five Eyes countries. If this doesn't make you upset, it should.
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