File this one under ‘ideas that everyone else is about to steal in short order’. Epic Games has launched new kid-specific accounts for its platform, designed for the under-13 age bracket. Called Cabined Accounts, these are semi-locked-down accounts intended to keep kids safer and offer parents a little more control over Junior’s multiplayer interactions.
Epic’s announcement, made via a blog post, does have one serious drawback. The publisher is punting the launch of Cabined Accounts as “a new way for kids to join the metaverse”. Self-aggrandising messaging aside, though, the change has come into effect for Rocket League, Fortnite, and Fall Guys.
Making Epic Games better
The trio of games is immensely popular with the younger set so Epic Games’ new functions make a lot of sense. Any account will require players to submit their age at login. If they’re under 13 (or if a country has a certain digital age of consent), their account will automatically be a Cabined Account.
The difference between this and a regular online account? A parent’s email address needs to be supplied so the ‘rents can sign off on Junior’s online activities. Play can continue but there are some restrictions. Chat, via voice or messaging, and purchasing through the account are disabled until the parents have their say. Anything that was previously purchased is fully available, however.
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Once the parents have given their input, the restrictions are mostly lifted from the kiddie’s account. The only exceptions will be those where the adults have decided to stick around via the Epic Games Parental Controls panel.
It’s entirely possible for the benefits of these Cabined Accounts to be side-stepped. If parents just give it all a cursory glance before approving everything, any upside is negated. If kids manage to lie about their age, oversight is similarly circumvented. But in both of these cases, Epic isn’t the problem. Parents are. Just sayin’.