German games body warns EU KIDS Act could weaken age ratings

The German Games Industry Association has warned that the proposed EU KIDS Act could weaken the age-rating systems parents already use for video games. In a statement published on 9 November, the association said new EU-wide codes of conduct could override national procedures, meaning the same game might receive different ratings in different shops or on different platforms.¹

That warning is about a proposal, not a new law. The EU KIDS Act has not been adopted, and the association's position is an industry submission rather than a final assessment from the European Commission. Its concern is that rules designed mainly around social-media risks could be applied too broadly to games, which have different ways of handling content, communication, spending and play time.

Germany's USK system is central to the argument. The association says USK ratings have helped guide parents for more than 30 years, while PEGI provides the wider European framework. Both systems already consider more than violence or explicit content: the USK has added factors such as loot boxes, purchase incentives, extended play and communication features to its assessment criteria.¹

The association also pointed to a recent survey in which 89 per cent of German parents reportedly described USK ratings as a reliable aid when choosing games. That figure comes from the association's own statement, so it should be read as a claim from an interested industry body rather than independent evidence. The underlying argument is clearer: replacing familiar ratings with overlapping procedures could make it harder for families to understand what an age label means.

Game is calling for three changes. It wants the EU KIDS Act to protect USK and PEGI rather than create entirely new procedures; apply rules based on the actual risks of games instead of treating them like social networks; and strengthen parental controls on consoles, platforms and in-game systems. The group says blanket restrictions should not unnecessarily limit parents' choices or children's participation.

GamesIndustry.biz reported the same concern, noting that the proposed framework could affect online games as well as social platforms and could make age-rating obligations more binding.² The practical question is whether the final legislation can improve child safety without throwing away systems that already give parents a recognisable starting point.

Our opinion

The association is right to insist that games should not be regulated as if they were simply another form of social media. That does not mean existing ratings are beyond criticism, or that parental controls are always easy to find and use. It does mean any new rules should add clarity rather than create a second layer of labels that families have to decode. The EU KIDS Act is still only a proposal, so the useful test will be whether its final wording strengthens proven safeguards while closing genuine gaps — not whether it produces the most dramatic headline.