The USK's global age rating system is approved and recognised by the youth ministries of the federal states. Since 2013, the USK age ratings have provided online guidance on affiliated gaming platforms and app stores.

The USK's global age rating system has now also convinced the youth protection authorities in the German federal states. The state ministries for children and young people have examined the system and given it legal recognition, thus underlining the importance of the USK ratings in the online sector.

"Protecting young people online is becoming increasingly important. Parents and educators want reliable age ratings in this area too. Under the leadership of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the highest state authorities for the protection of minors have been responsible for the legal age rating of digital games for many years and are directly involved in the USK classification process. By recognising the IARC, we are enabling a modern, internationally compatible solution which provides parents and educators with uniform and transparent guidance and at the same time strengthens the protection of children and young people," said Josefine Paul, Minister for Children and Youth of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

This approval also has legal implications for game developers and publishers. Games which are sold to minors or shown in public in Germany must be age-rated by the USK in accordance with legal requirements. With the amendment of the Protection of Minors Act in 2021, this obligation will also be extended to online gaming platforms. As a result of this recognition, gaming platforms using the IARC system can now fulfil their labelling obligations in accordance with the German Protection of Minors Act.

"The approval of this automated system is a special honour for this internationally established procedure and an important milestone for the protection of children and young people on online platforms. The USK ensures that the high German standards for the protection of minors are consistently implemented within this system. Our aim is to provide families and educators with reliable guidance and support in ensuring a safe gaming experience. Together with parental control tools such as the parental control settings on consoles and smartphones, the USK age rating is the best way to ensure that children and young people can play games safely," says Elisabeth Secker, Managing Director of the USK.

As the central classification authority for digital games in Germany, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) has been automatically assigning age ratings using the global system of the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) for more than ten years, providing guidance on online gaming platforms. Participants include the Google Play Store, Nintendo eShop, Microsoft Store for Windows and Xbox, PlayStation Store, Epic Games Store, Fortnite, Meta Quest Store, Pico Store and Amazon Luna.

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Marcel Kleffmann
Marcel Kleffmann