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ARTICLE · 05 JULY 2016

TW Play - July 2016

Taylor Wessing
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There is no specific offence in the UK for the digital supply of a video game (whether via download or stream) to children who are younger than the stated age limit of the game under Pan European Game Information (PEGI) ratings.

United KingdomMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Neil Hawley
Neil Hawley

PEGI ratings for online games

There is no specific offence in the UK for the digital supply of a video game (whether via download or stream) to children who are younger than the stated age limit of the game under Pan European Game Information (PEGI) ratings.

The UK's Video Recordings Act 1984, requires all boxed games to have received a PEGI rating from the Games Rating Authority before release. It is a legal requirement that PEGI -rated games must only be supplied in physical form to those who are above the specified age limit – underage supply is a criminal offence. However, this legal requirement does not apply to online games which would, of course, include those offered on platforms such as Steam, PlayStation Store and Google Play Store.

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