The UK government plans to extend its online-safety approach to communication with strangers in games, Online Safety Minister Ian Murray told Parliament on 2 November.

During the debate on the proposed under-16s social-media ban, Murray said further regulations would address features and functions such as stranger communication. He described an approach that would retain matchmaking with unfamiliar players while restricting the ability to talk to them in a gaming context.

Murray said the social-media ban was intended to pass before the new year and take effect in spring 2027, with the additional features-and-functions regulations to follow. The statement sets out the government's intended direction; it does not supply the final gaming rules, their exceptions or implementation requirements.

The parliamentary transcript is linked below, along with GamingOnLinux's discussion of the implications for multiplayer games and age checks.

Sources: Hansard | GamingOnLinux | GamingOnLinux