The competitive Counter-Strike scene is getting younger every year. Esports academies scout players at 11, 12 and even earlier, and by the time a teenager turns 13 many of them are already signed by professional clubs. The global talent pipeline is accelerating, yet the rules on one of the key competitive platforms remain stuck in the past.

In 2025 FACEIT banned several young and promising players, including eight-year-old ShaLun, nine-year-old Am1r_Han, and ten-year-old Savok Jr. Their parents released a joint statement earlier this year asking the community to support lifting the bans so their children could continue developing their skills in esports. The story drew attention across the community, but the situation has not moved forward. Read more

FACEIT’s current policy requires players to be at least 13 years old. All three accounts were banned with the tag “toxicity,” despite the fact that they train under full parental supervision and with explicit approval from their legal guardians. Coaches and parents repeatedly requested exceptions, but received no response. The ban effectively blocks young talents from practicing on the platform where the majority of competitive progression happens.

These kids are not random users. All three were part of Major by Abay Academy for developing young players, a project dedicated to educating the next generation of pros. One of the academy players, Lavr1k, who recently turned 13, has already been signed by Virtus.pro. Another player, ShaLun, has signed a training contract with Aurora Gaming. This clearly shows how early the esports pathway now begins: young athletes are being scouted and signed before they even reach the minimum age required to play official FACEIT matches.

The industry has evolved, and platform policies must evolve with it. Other major ecosystems, including Twitch, already allow supervised participation with explicit parent or guardian consent. FACEIT could adopt a similar model that protects minors while still supporting the growth of young talent.

It's time to let the next wave of esports prodigies learn, train and compete safely under proper supervision.

Support this petition and help us encourage FACEIT to revise its age policy, introduce guardian-approved supervised accounts, and give young players a fair chance to grow into the pros of tomorrow. We also call on FACEIT to lift the bans on the young players mentioned above, allowing them to return to training and continue their development in competitive CS under responsible guidance.