In the UK many video games have an ’18 plus’ rating, yet we hear in the media about it being too easy for children to buy video games. Sometimes a parent will buy the game for their child, and there’s nothing legally wrong with this, it’s up to them if they want to give their child a potentially violent video game.
But that’s not the only case; when purchasing games online it can be simple for an under 18 to buy a video game that has an adult rating. ID is (usually) not required in checkouts, meaning any card can be used to purchase a game or a film, even their own, whether they are 15, 17 or even 13.
Some people say companies should be doing more, but if they’re not getting penalized for selling games to children, it will continue. There is also the view that gaining identification can be a time consuming process, and ordering products online is supposed to be quick. The company wants to send them out quickly and move on to their next customer.
Let us know your views on this iterating debate, you may want to share your own stories.
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