13 Aug UK Online Safety Act impacts Gamers On Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation and Nintendo Switch
This week in cybersecurity from the editors at Cybercrime Magazine
Sausalito, Calif. – Aug. 13, 2025
Microsoft recently shared details about how the UK Online Safety Act (OSA) will impact Xbox’s social features, which will now require age verification.
Xbox’s VP of gaming trust and safety Kim Kunes announced that their compliance program has started and any UK-based player who indicates their account age as 18 and over will begin seeing notifications encouraging them to verify their age. Starting in early 2026, age verification will be required to retain full access to social features on Xbox, including voice and text chat, as well as game invites.
The OSA applies to all gaming platforms, including consoles, PC-based systems, and Mobile gaming apps. Sony Playstation, Nintendo Switch, Steam, Epic Games, and other major brands have responded to the OSA.
Charlie Osborne, our London-based Editor-at-Large, recently came on the Cybercrime Magazine Podcast to discuss the OSA, which kicked in with full effect Jul. 25 – and wherever you are in the world, if your games target UK users, or are even ‘likely’ to be played by youngsters in the UK, you’re legally obligated to comply.
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