Steam is rolling out the requirement for all users in the UK to verify their age in order to access store pages for games with mature content.
The restriction seemingly went into effect on Friday, after social media users spotted reference to the requirement on Steam‘s FAQ.
Thankfully, the process to verify your age is straightforward: UK users need only to add a credit card to their account, and those who already have one registered will face no restrictions.
The age verification requirement comes ahead of the enforcement of a new online safety act in the UK, which makes online platforms responsible for their users’ safety.
Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with “clear and accessible ways” to report problems.
Other gaming platforms, such as Xbox and Discord, began encouraging users to verify their age in order to access certain content earlier this year.
Starting early next year, age verification will be required for players in the UK to retain full access to social features on Xbox, including voice and text communication, and game invites.
“As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we’ll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process,” Xbox said. “We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.”
