Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On December 1, 2025, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) announced a new initiative to scrutinize privacy protections in mobile games frequently played by children in the UK. As digital gaming continues to grow in popularity among children, the review by the ICO signals renewed regulatory attention as to how mobile gaming platforms safeguard personal data of young users.

The ICO will conduct a monitoring program focusing on 10 mobile games widely used by children. The assessment will center on three critical areas:

• Default Privacy Settings: Evaluating whether games are configured to protect children’s privacy from the outset.
• Geolocation Controls: Scrutinizing how games handle location data and whether children’s whereabouts are adequately protected.
• Targeted Advertising: Reviewing practices around serving targeted ads to children.

In addition to these core areas, the ICO’s review will consider any other privacy risks that emerge during the process.

This latest focus follows the ICO’s Children’s code strategy, which has previously led to significant improvements in children’s privacy standards on social media and video-sharing platforms.

Read the UK ICO press release here.