Stop Killing Games and its creator, YouTuber Ross Scott, are warning that the European Union’s proposed EU Kids Act could have consequences far beyond child safety. Scott has described the proposal as a potential “bomb” for the wider video game industry.
The European Commission formally proposed the EU Kids Act on 17 September 2026. Its stated purpose is to protect minors from risky digital services and artificial intelligence systems, support the digital single market, and create a consistent regulatory and enforcement framework for protecting children online. The Commission’s website outlines the proposal in full.
In a new video, Scott argues that concerns about artificial intelligence and social media may be obscuring provisions that could affect games and their players. He describes those public-facing concerns as a “mask” for other measures contained in the proposal.
Why Stop Killing Games is concerned
Scott calls the EU Kids Act the most severe proposal he has seen affecting video games and consumers. His central objections are that it could require players to provide identifying information before playing an online game and could make private game servers unlawful.
The concerns were initially based on a leaked draft. However, the passages discussed in Scott’s video match the official 99-page proposal subsequently published by the European Commission.
The document covers a broad range of services. It proposes “safety by design” requirements for online social networks, video-sharing platforms, online games, AI companions, general conversational chatbots and software application stores.
How the proposal defines a video game
Chapter III, titled “Safety By Design”, is the key section for games. Before its requirements can be assessed, however, the proposal’s definition of a video game becomes important.
In the definitions section, a video game is described as an “information society service”. Under the EU GDPR, that term refers to a service normally supplied for payment, remotely, through electronic means and at an individual recipient’s request. Put simply, it can cover services purchased online.
Stop Killing Games argues that the wording is unclear about whether it applies to digitally purchased games that have no online functions. Scott has described the definition as “as clear as mud”, raising the possibility that age-verification rules could be applied broadly to games bought through digital storefronts.
That issue could be significant for services such as Steam, which operates as a digital storefront. The source material also points to Sony’s plan to end disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028, making questions about digital ownership and access increasingly relevant to players.
Stop Killing Games urged supporters to raise public awareness, arguing that the proposal could damage the European gaming market and make private or community-run servers illegal. The group shared that warning under the #KidsAct and #StopKillingGames hashtags on 30 September 2026.
The EU Kids Act is not yet law
The proposal remains at the beginning of the European Union’s legislative process. It must be reviewed and is likely to be amended before reaching voting stages in the European Parliament and the EU Council.
That unfinished status is precisely why Stop Killing Games wants the gaming community to pay attention now. Scott’s position is that public scrutiny could influence how the proposal develops before lawmakers consider its final form.
For players who care about long-term access, server preservation and digital ownership, the debate connects with wider discussions across the arcade and gaming news section. Those considering physical or dedicated alternatives can also explore arcade machines, compact bartop arcades and the Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
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