Bluesky brings age verification to South Dakota and Wyoming

Bluesky will now check the ages of users located in South Dakota and Wyoming to comply with local online safety laws. The platform announced on Wednesday that users in both states will be able to prove their age using an ID, payment card, face scan, or other method.

Just like Bluesky’s age verification launch in the UK, the social network will process age checks through Epic Games’ Kids Web Services (KWS), a tool that allows developers to integrate age verification and parental controls within their platforms.

Both South Dakota and Wyoming pushed ahead with their online safety laws after a Supreme Court ruling upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for porn sites. While many states only apply online safety laws to adult websites or platforms containing a certain threshold of harmful content, 404 Media points out that South Dakota and Wyoming’s laws don’t include this carveout. That means they could affect a much broader swatch of online platforms, including Reddit, X, and Discord, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Last month, Bluesky and Mastodon stopped operating in Mississippi after the Supreme Court refused to block a “likely unconstitutional” law that forces platforms to verify the ages of users when they create an account. Bluesky said the law “would block everyone from accessing the site — teens and adults — unless they hand over sensitive information.”

In the UK, Bluesky restricts unverified and underage users from accessing adult content, as well as from using certain features, like direct messaging. The Verge has contacted Bluesky for more details on the restrictions in these US states, but didn’t immediately hear back.