Why Online Platforms Are Cracking Down With ID Checks

Key Takeaways:

• Some of the latest platforms requiring age checks include Spotify and YouTube. Their new rules have sparked backlash, as users feel over-verified across services, even when simply trying to access music or video content.
• Laws are driving global adoption. Rules in the UK, EU, and U.S. states push platforms to tighten controls. Many now apply uniform standards worldwide, meaning even users outside regulated regions face new checks.
• Verification methods raise privacy concerns. From ID uploads to biometric scans, users rarely know where their data goes or how long it is stored. This lack of transparency fuels fears that age checks are more about surveillance than safety.

 

You open an app to listen to music or watch a video, and suddenly you are asked to upload your government ID. A few years ago, this would have seemed unusual. Age verification was mostly limited to gambling platforms or adult websites. Now it is becoming a routine part of mainstream apps.

Streaming services, social networks, and creative platforms are all introducing stricter checks to meet new legal requirements. What used to be rare is now something users run into often, even when trying to watch a music video or join a livestream.

The problem is that many people are getting tired of it. Each new platform seems to require another round of extensive checks. Uploading an ID, taking a selfie, or running through a facial scan feels repetitive and invasive. Users are left asking the same question: why do I need to prove my age again when I just did this somewhere else?

This frustration has turned age verification into a hot topic. The next section looks at how major platforms are rolling out these policies and why they are causing so much debate.

What Platforms Are Now Implementing Age Verification?

The issue isn’t just the process itself.  It’s the growing number of platforms introducing new and often intrusive verification systems. Each company interprets safety regulations differently, leaving users to navigate inconsistent processes, repeated checks, and added friction. Below are some of the major platforms that have recently implemented stricter age verification requirements:

1. YouTube’s Stricter Age Verification in the U.S. and EU

YouTube has moved far beyond the old “Are you 18?” pop-up. In 2025, it began requiring users in the U.S. and EU to verify their age with a government-issued ID, a facial recognition scan, or credit card information before accessing restricted videos.

Alongside these checks, YouTube is testing an AI-driven system that estimates a user’s age based on viewing patterns and behavior. If flagged, users must provide formal verification to regain access. Many worry this model gives too much power to algorithms, with petitions calling the process invasive and disproportionate for accessing online video content.

2. Google Extends Age Checks to Search

Google has begun expanding the same verification system it tested on YouTube into its flagship search engine. The tool uses machine learning to infer a user’s age from activity and browsing patterns, prompting pop-ups when content is flagged as restricted.

This shift has sparked backlash, as search is considered a core utility of the internet. Petitions with more than 100,000 signatures already oppose Google’s system on YouTube, and extending it to Search only heightens concerns about transparency, accuracy, and whether users may be flagged across all Google services. Critics warn this could significantly disrupt everyday internet use, pushing some toward alternatives like DuckDuckGo or Bing.

3. Spotify’s Face Scan Rollout in the UK

Spotify introduced age checks in the UK to comply with the Online Safety Act. Users who want to watch music videos labeled 18+ must either upload a government-issued ID or complete a selfie scan through Yoti, a third-party vendor that estimates age using facial analysis.

Accounts that fail verification can be suspended or even deleted, a consequence many listeners view as excessive for a music service. The rollout has sparked backlash online, with users questioning why a platform built around audio is now asking for identity documents or face scans. Some have threatened to leave altogether, while others argue the change could drive people back toward piracy.

4. TikTok, Meta, and Reddit Expanding Age Checks

Social platforms with younger audiences are also tightening their rules. TikTok has expanded its verification tools to include ID uploads and AI-based facial estimation, particularly for livestreaming and monetized features. In practice, teenagers who want to stream or earn money on the app are often required to verify their age.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has taken a similar route. It has tested video selfies that are sent to third-party vendors for analysis. These vendors assess whether the user appears old enough to access restricted features.  Critics worry this outsourcing adds new risks, since biometric data is being shared outside the platform.

Reddit has also tightened its requirements, especially for communities that host explicit or sensitive content. Users are now asked to provide government-issued ID before gaining access. While Reddit has long relied on community moderators, this shift reflects growing pressure on platforms to enforce age rules at a higher level.

What Laws Are Behind Stricter Age Verification Rules for Online Platforms

Stricter age rules are shaping how platforms operate, and laws are at the center of it. Governments are requiring companies to adopt stronger measures to protect minors, but because the rules differ from country to country, platforms are looking for simpler solutions.

Many have chosen to apply uniform standards across markets instead of tailoring their systems region by region. This reduces compliance risk and shows regulators they are taking safety seriously. For users, it means that rules written in London or Brussels can shape the experience of someone in Los Angeles or São Paulo. As a result, age checks are spreading faster than local laws alone would require.

Some of the main laws driving these new verification systems include:

1. The UK’s Online Safety Act

The UK has taken one of the strictest approaches with its Online Safety Act, which requires companies to block minors from harmful content through stronger age checks. Its scope is broad, covering not only pornography but also violent material and some music videos.

For platforms like Spotify, this has meant adding identity checks where none previously existed. Critics argue the law forces companies to collect sensitive personal data and creates new privacy risks. Still, with large fines possible from Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, companies have little choice but to comply.

2. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA)

The Digital Services Act in the EU sets clear obligations for child protection and content moderation. Large platforms must run risk assessments, introduce safeguards for minors, and report on how harmful material is handled.

The law does not mandate a single verification method, but its emphasis on “appropriate measures” has pushed platforms toward stronger checks. YouTube’s rollout of stricter verification in EU countries reflects this trend, with companies often going beyond the minimum to avoid potential penalties.

3. U.S. State-Level Laws

In the United States, the picture is more fragmented. Without a federal framework, individual states have introduced their own rules. Louisiana, Utah, and Arkansas have passed laws requiring age verification for access to adult websites and certain digital services, while other states, including Texas and Virginia, are considering similar measures.

These laws typically call for government-issued IDs or third-party verification. But the details differ, creating a patchwork of requirements that national platforms find difficult to manage. Federal proposals have been debated, but no uniform law has passed, leaving companies to fill the gaps themselves.

How Online Platforms Are Verifying Age in 2025

Platforms are using a mix of methods to comply with new age rules. While the details differ, most approaches involve collecting identity documents, scanning faces, or outsourcing the process to outside providers. Here are some of the most common approaches:

1. Government-Issued ID Uploads

The most straightforward approach is asking users to upload a driver’s license, passport, or state ID. The document is scanned to confirm authenticity and verify date of birth. Some platforms handle this internally, while others forward it to a third-party provider.

This raises obvious questions: Where is the ID stored? Who has access to it? And is it deleted after verification or retained for future checks? Because storage often happens in centralized databases, users have little visibility into how long their documents remain on file.

2. AI-Driven Selfie or Facial Analysis

Another method is asking users to take a live selfie or short video. Algorithms then estimate age based on facial features. TikTok, Instagram, and other apps have tested this approach through vendors like Yoti.

Supporters argue it avoids uploading official documents, but it introduces other concerns. Facial data is usually considered biometric information, which is subject to stricter privacy protections in many regions. Users are left wondering whether their scans are stored, how long they are kept, and whether they could be used for purposes beyond age estimation.

3. Third-Party Verification Vendors

Many platforms outsource verification to specialized vendors. In these cases, IDs or face scans are sent to the vendor, which then returns a simple confirmation to the platform.

This arrangement can reduce the technical burden on the platform, but it adds another layer of data handling. Users must not only trust the app they are using but also the external company processing their personal information. Transparency around storage and deletion policies varies widely between providers.

4. Credit Card or Payment-Based Verification

A less common but still used method is requiring users to provide credit card information. The assumption is that minors do not have access to valid payment cards, making this a basic form of proof.

While simple, this method is limited. It does not cover adults without credit cards, and it forces users to hand over financial information to services where payment may not otherwise be necessary. Storage practices also vary—some platforms claim card details are only used for verification, but others retain them, raising additional concerns.

Why Users Are Frustrated With Age Verification on Streaming and Social Apps

For many people, the problem is not that age checks exist but how they are being introduced. Instead of feeling like simple safeguards, they often come across as barriers that interrupt everyday use. The main reasons for this frustration fall into three areas:

1. Repetition Without Recognition

Users are frequently asked to verify their age across multiple platforms. Proving age on YouTube does not prevent Spotify, TikTok, or Reddit from asking again. Each platform requires a fresh upload, a new selfie, or another card entry. With no way to carry proof of age from one service to another, the process feels repetitive and exhausting.

2. Sensitive Data at the Center

Verification methods involve submitting IDs, live selfies, or facial scans. Users rarely know how this information is stored or for how long. Some platforms rely on third-party vendors, which adds another layer of uncertainty. Without transparency, people are left to assume their personal data could be retained or reused without their knowledge.

3. From Safety to Surveillance

What troubles many users most is the feeling that these checks go beyond protecting minors. They are appearing in everyday features like livestreams, monetization tools, and even music videos. Streamer and artist Saruei summed up this concern after Spotify’s rollout in the UK, warning that if age checks spread unchecked, access to culture itself could become “gated by surveillance and the illusion of security.”

This sense of surveillance is not only about personal privacy. Critics argue that stricter age-check mandates also give more power to Big Tech. Because compliance is costly and complex, large platforms can adapt while smaller sites and independent communities are left behind. This raises a bigger question: what would age checks look like if they were designed for users rather than just compliance?

Would Users Still Be Frustrated If Age Verification Was Easy and Secure?

Frustration with age checks has less to do with the principle and more with how they are designed today. People generally agree that minors should be protected, but they push back against the friction, repeated demands, and sense of surveillance that come from handing over IDs and biometric data with little control.

This raises an important question: what if proving age didn’t require uploading a passport or repeating the process on every platform?

Technologies already exist to make this possible. Tools such as selective disclosure and verifiable credentials allow users to prove they are over 18 without revealing their full date of birth, address, or government ID. These systems can also be reusable, so one verification could be carried across multiple services instead of starting from scratch each time.

For example, a user might verify their age once through a trusted digital ID wallet. That wallet could then issue a credential confirming they are over 18. When moving from YouTube to Spotify, the platform would only need to check that credential—not request another ID upload or face scan. The user never has to share their actual birthday or passport photo, only the fact that they meet the requirement.

Open standards are key to making this possible. Frameworks like W3C’s Verifiable Credentials or ISO standards for mobile ID are designed to work across platforms, ensuring users don’t face a different process every time.

The challenge is that current systems aren’t built this way. Most prioritize compliance for platforms over convenience for users. Adoption becomes harder when systems create friction instead of reducing it. Trust grows when measures are designed with users in mind—giving them control over their data and limiting what they must share. Until then, age verification will continue to feel more like surveillance than a safeguard.

Conclusion

Age checks are becoming part of everyday online life, and more platforms will be forced to adopt them as rules expand. The question now is whether they will design systems that people trust.

If verification keeps feeling like surveillance—asking for IDs and face scans at every turn—users will push back or leave. But if companies build user-first systems, with simple, reusable tools that protect privacy, they can meet safety rules without losing their audience.

The platforms that take this approach will not just satisfy regulators. They will set the standard for how identity works across the internet in the years ahead.

Identity.com

Identity.com helps many businesses by providing their customers with a hassle-free identity verification process through our products. Our organization envisions a user-centric internet where individuals maintain control over their data. This commitment drives Identity.com to actively contribute to this future through innovative identity management systems and protocols.

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