Activision has begun rolling out a new age verification measure for Call of Duty players, and while it sounds nice on paper, it’s basically nothing at all in practice.
Call of Duty games are not suitable for all ages. For the vast majority of titles in the long-running FPS franchise, they’ve been slapped with a Mature rating in the United States, meaning the content is intended for audiences aged 17 and up, according to the ESRB.
The original three games spanning 2003-2006 snagged Teen ratings, ensuring the content was suitable for players aged 13 and up, however, these are the outliers.
For the most part, it’s an adult-oriented franchise featuring “blood and gore, strong language, suggestive themes and drug use.”
Looking to enforce its age rating, Activision is now rolling out an in-game age verification measure. But, let’s be real, it’s not stopping anyone.
CoD’s new age verification measure is a nothingburger
Upon booting up the Call of Duty launcher on July 16, some users have reported seeing a new age verification pop-up. Moving forward, Activision now requires Call of Duty accounts to register their birthdays.
“This requirement will help us ensure [a] positive community experience for all players,” an accompanying message reads.
In one image shared through Dexerto’s sister-brand CharlieIntel, we see one user given an account deletion warning. Should they not provide their birth date by November 10, 2025, their Call of Duty account will allegedly be deleted.
“In accordance with our efforts to deliver a positive community experience as detailed in the Call of Duty Code of Conduct, Activision players are being asked to provide updated information to their accounts,” a provided statement reads.
Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to see how this new measure immediately misses the mark. Like most age verification protocols, any user can input any date and claim they were born in the early 1900s, for instance.
Given Activision is not requiring any actual proof of age in the form of identification, it’s really a moot point. At least at the time of writing, there’s little preventing younger users from flubbing their age and carrying on playing Call of Duty like before. But of course, we couldn’t possibly recommend this.
So for now, it’s seemingly business as usual, just ensure you fill out the birthday pop-up and avoid possible account deletion.
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