Three U.S. lawmakers have sent letters to several video game companies asking them to extend some new U.K. design rules to the United States. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) have asked them to restrict “nudging techniques” that would entice children to continue using their services with one major example being loot boxes in video games. Companies that received these letters include Epic Games, Riot Games, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Activision Blizzard.
Known as the “Age Appropriate Design Code,” this new set of rules in the United Kingdom would crack down on several issues pertaining to young children on both the internet and video games. This would include stricter privacy settings and designing products in the “best interests” of children.
The closest thing to this in existence within the United States is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, but that only applies to children up to the age of 12.