What is the Age Appropriate Design Code?

On Wednesday 2 September 2020, the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code came into force.

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK’s video games industry, has published a Short Form Guide to the Information Commissioner’s Office Code of Practice relating to Age-Appropriate Design.

Back in 2021, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published a Code of Practice (the Code) on age-appropriate design for online services.

Many developers and publishers of video games will be covered by the Code and those who are covered have had to comply with it since 2 September 2021.

The consequences of failure to do so are potentially severe.

As such, Guildford-based lawyers, Stevens & Bolton LLP in partnership with TIGA have produced a short form, user-friendly guide to assist TIGA members in understanding what the Code is, the standards and some key concepts that underpin them, as well as providing some compliance points.

 

Please note that whilst this guide is designed to be a useful starting point and a framework from which to operate, it is not intended to constitute legal advice (whether general or specific) and you should not rely on it to answer any specific questions.

The ICO also specifically recommends reading the Code in full to assist understanding of how to implement the standards. You can access the Code in full as well as the ICO’s guidance by following this link.

Further Reading

For more information about the Age Appropriate Design Code, please see the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk and the ICO’s own guidance here.