KJM and youth protection developments in the games industry

The KJM has recently been making a name for itself mainly due to the Jusprog problem(see this article), which currently means that computer games rated for 16 years and above are theoretically only allowed to be streamed from 10 p.m.(see this post).

On the occasion of gamescom, Dr. Wolfgang Kreißig, Chairman of the Commission for the Protection of Youth Media, is now appealing to the legislators of the federal and state governments that a coordinated converged regulatory framework for the protection of youth media is urgently needed. Would. This must be based on the actual behaviour of children and adolescents and thus also reflect new risks.

In games, these include promoting excessive gambling behavior or increasing business models based on in-game purchases and advertising. In view of a dynamic development, for example in game apps, platforms or mobile devices, protection gaps have arisen that need to be closed.

Unfortunately, there is still no adequate level playing field against providers based abroad – also because there are no effective instruments for enforcing the law online,

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comments Dr. Kreißig on the current legal situation.

However, this should not be a reason for lowering one’s own standards. Effectively protecting children and young people is a constitutional task to which legislators, supervision and self-control institutions are obliged.

Whether this is a reaction to the jusprog problem, which is currently being challenged in court, remains to be seen.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.