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 the US, lawmakers are pushing forward bills like the
App Store Accountability Act
and Parents Over Platforms Act to have app stores themselves verify users’ ages.
Discord has
delayed plans to roll out age verification
globally after user backlash until later in 2026, but it hasn’t completely shelved them, even after a
breach of a former vendor last year
that leaked some users’ scanned IDs. Meanwhile, other platforms, like
ChatGPT
and
, are applying AI models to identify and lock down accounts suspected of being underage until some form of identity verification can prove the user is an adult.
Follow along below for the latest updates on age verification for internet services and apps…
Apple’s new age verification tools block underage app downloads where required by law
Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout
Discord distances itself from Persona age verification after user backlash
America desperately needs new privacy laws
Discord says ‘vast majority’ of users won’t see its new age verification setup
Discord’s age verification mandate is a leap toward a gated internet
Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
ChatGPT is using age prediction to restrict what minors see
Will you have to show your ID at the app store?
Roblox now requires an age check if you want to chat
Meet the new tech laws of 2026
Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law
Australia boots kids under 16 off social media: how platforms are responding
Welcome to the ‘papers, please’ internet
Here’s how Apple is locking down iPhones to comply with Texas’ age verification law
Bluesky brings age verification to South Dakota and Wyoming
Mastodon can’t comply with Mississippi’s age verification laws.
Steam users in the UK will need a credit card to access ‘mature content’ games
Bluesky blocks Mississippi under new age verification law
Supreme Court opens door to social media age-gating in US
Google is using AI age checks to lock down user accounts
Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet
Microsoft starts rolling out Xbox age verification in the UK
Reddit and Discord’s UK age verification can be defeated by Death Stranding’s photo mode
Roblox will require a facial scan or government ID to have unfiltered chats
The EU is testing a prototype age verification app
Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK
Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK
Google has open sourced its privacy-focused age verification technology.
The Supreme Court just upended internet law, and I have questions
The EU age verification app will launch in July.
Apple is hitting back in the war over internet age-gating
Utah governor signs the first app store age verification bill into law.
Utah becomes the first state to pass an app store age verification bill
How Meta’s global head of safety approaches online age verification
Child safety bills are reshaping the internet for everyone
Online age verification is coming, and privacy is on the chopping block
Instagram is testing an AI tool that verifies your age by scanning your face
— Source: The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/tech/883855/age-verification-internet-apps-laws-privacy-safety)