Another major part of our everyday lives is set to be hit by age verification, but this time, it's not for NSFW reasons.
2025 saw a rollout of age verification in the porn industry, with an increasing number of U.S. states demanding sites like Pornhub add third-party verification.
This quickly spread to countries including France and Italy, with an even bigger clampdown in the United Kingdom.
The UK not only came down hard on porn giants over age verification, but it also introduced new legislation that would see choking porn become a criminal offense.
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Elsewhere, Australia banned under-16s from social media and forced adults to undergo age verification.
With continued complaints that we're now in some Orwellian society where we have to hand over financials or our own faces to access basic things like social media, it's gaming's turn to feel the pinch.
This time, PlayStation users in the UK are being forced through the wringer of age verification.
On its site, PlayStation says: "Age verification is a process that helps confirm you’re old enough for an adult account for PlayStation in the UK and Ireland. We use an age verification service to help deliver an age-appropriate experience and support online safety."
Those who don't comply can be locked out of features that include voice chat (also on Discord), text chat/messaging, joining parties, broadcasting to YouTube or Twitch, and more.
It's also noted that some games offer user-generated content and in-game chat or messaging, meaning a lack of age verification could lock you out of them altogether. We previously covered how this affects GTA Online in Australia, with the UK looking like it's going to follow suit for PlayStation players.
Gamers are reporting that when you open your PlayStation dashboard, you're now met with a message warning that age verification is coming into play later in 2026. Offering a QR code so you can verify now, Sony is imploring you to verify now ahead of a planned June 2026 rollout. Scanning the code takes you through to a verification process where you can offer up a facial scan through Yoti or upload your ID, like a driving license or passport. We've recently seen Apple come under fire for its own age verification mandates. Xbox owners haven't got away from this one, with Microsoft already getting the jump on the competition and starting its own age verification in July 2025.
Still, with continued privacy complaints, many are vexed that they have to give away their identity just to play their favorite games.
Over on Reddit, one angry gamer complained: "I'm 60. Had an Xbox and PS account for longer than I can remember. They can shove their 'age' verification. It's nothing to do with protecting kids."
Another added: "I’m so sick of this stupid shit everywhere now. I’m older than you. I LOOK old FFS lol. I’m not giving my face to anything online that’s non-essential because it’s a honeypot to hackers."
Others suggest that parents are simply circumventing the rules by scanning their own faces and letting their kids play – therefore nullifying the Online Safety Act 2023.
A third grumbled: "So adults get f**ked again with more completely unsecure ID verification, and kids whose parents don’t care will just use their face to verify anyway. Brilliant."
Even though there's clear discontent in the ranks, it seems gamers are stuck between a rock and a hard place, with everyone ultimately being forced to bow to age verification or lose access to what we want to use online.