#digital safety

These interactions put children’s privacy and safety at significant risk. As online gaming scams continue to grow, parents’ involvement and proactive monitoring can make a critical difference in protecting children’s safety and privacy. Valve has updated its Steam store checkout process with a new, more transparent disclosure, stating that when users buy a game, they are actually purchasing a license to access that digital content, not ownership of the game itself. The message reads: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam," highlighting the shift toward better transparency in the digital marketplace. The law will require digital storefronts, like Steam, to explicitly state that customers are only purchasing a license for digital media. This move is in response to complaints about companies such as Ubisoft and PlayStation, which have removed previously purchased digital content from users' libraries, leaving them unable to access games or media they had thought they owned. It prohibits digital platforms from using terms like "buy" or "purchase" unless they specify that what’s being sold is merely a license. Digital storefronts will also need to link to the terms and conditions of the license, which Valve appears to already be doing with this update. Read more in our articles including "Report Warns Parents of Growing Gaming Scams Targeting Children" and "You’re Buying a License, Not a Game - Steam Clarifies".