Riot Backlash: New Parental Controls in League, Valorant, TFT

Riot has rolled out new parental controls across League of Legends, Valorant, and TFT, but the changes have triggered an outcry from players who say the features are going far beyond child protection and are restricting access for accounts that should not be affected. Reports describe unexpected limits on core social functions in League, including problems with chat and friend requests, with some users claiming the controls appeared to turn on automatically after the update.

The update adds parental options that let parents limit or switch off text and voice chat to friends only, block the ability to send or accept friend requests, and restrict access to certain Riot games. While the intent is straightforward, players have alleged that the new system is being applied incorrectly, preventing users from using chat features even when they have already provided their date of birth on their Riot account.

In League of Legends, the issue became severe enough that Riot acknowledged it was affecting more accounts than intended. The company said it would roll back the change for League to address the problems, after receiving reports that the parental controls were improperly limiting access and, in some cases, that affected users had no way to disable the feature. Some players also raised additional concerns about whether Riot’s parental email verification process was working correctly.

These complaints have resonated with the broader debate around child safety in online games. Across the industry, more platforms have introduced age verification and tighter restrictions for minors, especially around chat and social interaction. In Europe and elsewhere, regulators have pushed for stricter limits on underage social media use, and game companies have increasingly relied on parental controls to manage who children can communicate with.

Players say Riot’s implementation has created an extra layer of friction because it can interfere with long-established account behavior. Some users even pointed out that, at least in practice, the new parental system may be the only method currently available to block incoming friend requests—meaning the feature has become both a safety tool and a workaround for social blocking, regardless of the age of the account holder.

The controversy is also landing while Riot is preparing a major nostalgia-focused release. The studio teased League of Legends Classic in June as a new game mode that brings back older items, Champions, and a previous Summoner’s Rift layout, with its earliest version based on gameplay from Season 3. Riot has said the initial iteration will use older, pre-rework versions of Champions such as Nidalee, Sion, and Evelynn, and it is scheduled to arrive in July. With that launch approaching, players are watching closely to see whether Riot can stabilize the parental control rollout before the attention shifts back to the upcoming classic mode.

What Riot’s new controls can change

Limit or disable text and voice chat, including options to allow chat only with friends
Prevent sending or accepting friend requests
Restrict access to specific Riot games