[Disclaimer: The story you’re about to read is purely fiction. Mina, Leo, and the game “Starbound Quest” are all imagined for this blog to illustrate how a game might work with k-ID. Now, sit back, buckle up, and prepare for lift-off as we launch into their space-themed adventure!]

Every digital journey begins with a single click or tap. For today’s children, that first click opens up a universe of possibilities — and a maze of challenges. As young players step into vast online worlds, their needs and abilities change with every milestone and every level up. The question for platforms, parents and developers is simple but profound: how do we keep up?

At k-ID, we believe the answer lies in designing systems that grow with children. Imagine a system that recognises not just a child’s age, but their evolving capacity, their right to participate, and the unique legal landscape of their country. Imagine a system that knows when to keep the gates locked, when to open new doors, and when to hand over the keys entirely.

This is the heart of k-ID. In the illustrative story that follows, you’ll meet Mina and Leo — a pair of siblings living in different corners of the world, each charting their own course through the galaxy of online play. Though Mina and Leo are far apart, their adventures are shaped by the same invisible guide: k-ID. Their journeys in Starbound Quest reveal how k-ID quietly adapts behind the scenes, unlocking new freedoms and protections as they grow from Digital Minors to Digital Youths to Legal Adults.

Chapter 1: Mina’s First Launch — The Digital Minor

From her bedroom in California, Mina’s heart races as she taps the glowing “Play” button for the very first time. At 10 years old, she’s finally old enough to step into the vast universe of Starbound Quest. Just over a year ago, she couldn’t create an account — even with parental consent — because the game's developers had implemented a minimum age of 10 as a matter of policy.

Before she can play, Mina is prompted to ask a trusted adult for permission. She quickly types in her mum’s email, and Mrs. Kim’s phone buzzes with a notification. While waiting for approval, Mina’s adventure begins as a solo journey. The game gently guides her through single-player missions, letting her explore new planets and solve puzzles at her own pace. There are no invitations to join classmates or connect with other players yet — her world is hers alone, designed for discovery and safety.

Mrs. Kim reviews the request and approves it, selecting the appropriate permissions for Mina with a few taps. Now, Mina can create a custom avatar and a custom username. She excitedly chooses her favourite look and explores the game’s rooms, teaming up with other real players to complete missions, trade resources, and join cooperative space battles. Curious, Mina tries to send a message to a new player she meets, but a friendly pop-up explains: “To help keep your experience safe, your parent has turned off chat and friend requests.” For now, Mina can interact and collaborate with other players through in-game actions, while her communication remains limited to the game’s friendly guides and story-driven characters. This keeps her experience secure and in line with her parent’s expectations.

Mrs. Kim feels confident knowing she’s always in the loop, and Mina can focus on what she loves most: exploring new worlds, one safe step at a time.

As Mina’s world expands, so does her older brother’s — half a world away.

Chapter 2: Leo Levels Up — The Digital Youth

Leo logs into Starbound Quest from his boarding school in South Korea — a game his sister has been badgering him to join. At 14, he’s more mature — and the law recognises that. He’s able to create his own account without needing his mum’s consent. As he enters the game, he immediately notices a range of features that weren’t available to Mina straightaway. Leo can send and accept friend requests, join public chat channels, and even connect his Discord account to the game. He customises his profile, wastes no time in forming a team, and leads them to climb up the leaderboard. Leo isn’t just playing for fun — he’s a competitive gamer, regularly participating in online tournaments and coordinating with teammates across different time zones.

During a special event, Leo’s team unlocks a limited-time mission that requires players to find and check in at real-world landmarks using their device’s location. When Leo tries to access this feature, a pop-up appears: “Based on the age information we have, you will need to ask permission from a trusted adult to access this feature.”

(Even though Leo is more mature, the regulatory guidance in South Korea still recommends parental consent for location data collection due to its sensitivity.)

Leo enters his mum’s email. Since Mrs. Kim is already registered with k-ID, she’s familiar with the flow and doesn’t need to verify her identity again. She reviews the request and, as the approval flow clearly spells out that Leo will be able to share his precise location — even down to street level or specific coordinates — she pauses to consider the risks. But it’s Leo’s maturity and sound judgment, the same qualities that made her comfortable sending him to boarding school in South Korea, that reassure her now. Enabling this feature feels like a natural step in supporting his growing independence. Trusting he’ll handle this new permission wisely, Mrs. Kim enables the permission for Leo.

With permission granted, Leo is able to participate in the location-based mission, helping his team climb up even higher on the leaderboard.

Later, when a trendy new baseball cap catches Leo’s eye in the in-game shop — perfect team gear to show off his competitive spirit — Leo clicks “Buy”. This time, because his mum had set a monthly spending limit of $50, the purchase goes through instantly. A pop-up confirms: “Purchase approved! Your current monthly spending limit is $50, set by your parent.”

For Mrs. Kim, setting a spending limit isn’t about a lack of trust, but about helping Leo build healthy financial habits as he learns to manage his own money — especially when she’s not there to remind him in person. She appreciates that k-ID’s Trusted Adult Preferences feature allows her to support Leo’s independence from afar, while still providing gentle guidance where it counts. Leo, for his part, makes a mental note to budget wisely — buying the baseball cap now and saving up for matching kicks to complete his team gear over the next few months!

Chapter 3: Growing Together — On the Path to Legal Adult

As months and years pass, Mina’s digital world expands alongside her. Each birthday brings a new “level up” moment in Starbound Quest, powered by k-ID’s dynamic system that adapts to her growing maturity and her country’s rules.

On her 13th birthday, Mina wakes up to a special message: “Congratulations! You’ve reached Digital Youth status. New adventures await!” Now, sending and accepting friend requests is automatically enabled for her. A suite of additional features is also available for her to enable, but these remain off by default. Mina can decide which features to turn on, customising her experience as she becomes more independent. She chooses to enable permissions that allow her to join forums and participate in team missions with voice chat — while opting to keep video chat disabled because she’s a little self-conscious about being on camera. Mrs. Kim still gets notifications and can set preferences where available, but Mina now can give her own consent for many features, reflecting her growing independence.

By 14, Mina is streaming her gameplay, and creating her own mods. Her mum’s role has shifted to more of an advisor — she can see Mina’s choices, but Mina is trusted to make more decisions herself.

Meanwhile, Leo approaches adulthood. At 19, he receives another milestone notification: “Happy birthday, Leo! Unlock all features and take full charge of your experience. Take the reins, and make your mark.” Now, Leo can access all features, and wants to treat himself to an in-game purchase to celebrate. With the spending limit his mum once set no longer in place, he reviews his options carefully before deciding on a top-of-the-line virtual spaceship for $60 — something he’s saved up for over several months from his part-time barista job. Years of budgeting under his mum’s guidance have made him thoughtful about big purchases, and he feels confident managing his own money. Parental oversight fades away; Leo is now fully in charge of his online experience.

Throughout these years, k-ID ensures that every permission, feature, and responsibility matches each user’s age, legal status, and local requirements. Parents like Mrs. Kim remain involved when needed, but the system gracefully hands over more freedom as children demonstrate readiness. Mina and Leo (and their parents) can review, correct, or delete data at any stage, ensuring their digital footprints are managed securely and respectfully. Every “level up” is a moment of shared confidence and celebration.

Visualising the Journey: Age Categories and Permissions

The table below illustrates how a game integrated with k-ID, such as Starbound Quest, empowers families to manage individual features within a game with nuance and precision. This thoughtful design results in an experience that’s not only fully compliant, but also genuinely supports the gradual transfer of responsibility and recognises each young person’s unique digital journey.

• Each permission can be enabled or disabled by default. When a permission is disabled by default, it can be managed by a Trusted Adult or by the Player. It’s important to note that when a permission is disabled by default, it doesn’t always mean a parent must step in to manage it — sometimes, the player themselves has the right to turn it on or off.
  

• At the same age but in different jurisdictions, Mina and Leo can have different age statuses (see our Understanding Age Requirements blogpost for more information). For example, at 18, Mina would be recognised as a Legal Adult in the US, while Leo remains classified as a Digital Youth in South Korea.
  

• Even when both have the same age status, their permissions may vary based on location. For example, at 14 in the US (Digital Youth), Mina’s permission to link to her Discord account to stream her gameplay is still disabled by default (though she could enable it herself), whereas in South Korea, the same permission is enabled by default for Leo (also a Digital Youth).

Epilogue

With k-ID, every child’s online journey is unique, safe, and empowering. Whether a young explorer like Mina or a competitive gamer like Leo, kids experience the digital world at a pace that’s right for them — with parents as trusted guides and their rights always respected. As they move from Digital Minor to Digital Youth to Legal Adult, their digital world grows with them — always safe, always compliant, and always empowering.

Want to see how k-ID can support your platform’s young users?

👉 Explore more at product.k-id.com and docs.k-id.com.

👉 Contact Us today to find out how k-ID can support your compliance journey.