Categories: The Verge

Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet

On July 25th, the UK became one of the first countries to widely implement age verification. Its Online Safety Act requires sites hosting porn and other content deemed “harmful” – including Reddit, Discord, Grindr, X, and Bluesky – to verify that users are over the age of 18. The early results have been chaotic. While many services have complied, some have pulled out of the country rather than face the risk and expense. Users have tricked the verification tools or bypassed them with VPNs. It’s just a taste of the issues that many other countries might face as they launch their own systems, and it’s a situation that privacy and security exper …

Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout

Discord won't roll out age verification globally on its platform next month as previously announced, and says in a blog post that it's delaying the launch until the second half of 2026. "The way this landed, many of you walked away thinking we're requiring face scans and ID uploads from…

February 24, 2026

In "The Verge"

Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet

Age verification is a reality on a growing number of social media platforms, requiring an ID or facial scan for full access to everything from YouTube to Roblox. The age-gating wave is coming along with calls for stronger child safety measures online, despite concerns about privacy, security, and censorship. In…

February 24, 2026

In "The Verge"

Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK

Reddit users in the United Kingdom will now be blocked from accessing “certain mature content” unless they complete the platform’s new age verification process. Reddit announced on Monday that UK users will need to upload a selfie or a photo of their government ID in order to view content that’s…

July 15, 2025

In "The Verge"

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