UK age verification: services, methods and data retention

Ofcom’s confirmation decision of 19 March 2026 required 4chan “to implement highly effective age assurance on 4chan.org by 2 April 2026” with “an additional daily rate penalty of £500 per day … until the date section 12 is complied with, or (if sooner) by 1 June 2026”. Ofcom’s June 2026 industry bulletin: 4chan fined “a total of £540,000 … (with daily penalties of up to £800 until compliance deadlines are met). Further enforcement action may follow should non-compliance continue.” No Ofcom page read after June 2026 records whether 4chan has since introduced a check.

Ofcom’s consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026, status “Pending Statement (Closed)”): Part 4 of the Media Act 2024 creates “a new regime for services called ‘Tier 1 Services’. These will be the most watched video on-demand services that meet a threshold of viewership set by Government”, with proposed rules including “protecting the under-eighteens”. The page does not name services.

This limits certain features and safety-setting changes; it does not block use of the whole device.

Bumble’s pages do not name the UK among the countries where it is “legally required to verify that members are 18+”. Its privacy policy lists, “For members based in countries where age verification is legally required”, a photo of a government-issued ID plus geolocation and device information at the time of upload.

Bumble: mandatory in the USA; elsewhere requested “for safety reasons”, including a suspicion that a member is under 18.

No Character.AI page read names the UK. Blog, 21 November 2025: the rollout began in the US “and that rollout will continue globally in the near future”. Help page (24 June 2026): “Age Assurance is being introduced step by step, so the pop-up might not show up for everyone right away.”

UK rollout and requirement are not confirmed by the recorded source.

Crunchyroll’s only age-verification page, “Why am I being asked to verify my age?” (15 September 2026), concerns South Korea alone: “Certain local regulations require users to complete age verification before creating a Crunchyroll account or accessing restricted (19+) content while in South Korea.” “Verification is performed through a third-party identity verification service (via SMS and PASS) and requires Korean identity credentials recognized by the Korean verification system.” No page read describes a check for the United Kingdom or any other country.

Account and payments checks, not an Online Safety Act content gate: no Depop page read mentions the Online Safety Act or Ofcom. The 18+ rule attaches to Depop Payments and PayPal, which sellers need; an account to browse and buy can be held from age 13.

Depop’s page says ID “may be required”; it does not say every seller is asked.

Discord’s page: “What’s actually available to you depends on factors such as your region or device, so the options below may not be the same for everyone.”

Discord’s page: “Google Wallet currently only supports passports from Brazil, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, and US.”

Ofcom’s consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026, status “Pending Statement (Closed)”): Part 4 of the Media Act 2024 creates “a new regime for services called ‘Tier 1 Services’. These will be the most watched video on-demand services that meet a threshold of viewership set by Government”, with proposed rules including “protecting the under-eighteens”. The page does not name services.

EA describes the 18+ check for Brazil (“Effective March 2026, Brazil’s ECA Digital Law requires verified age check for certain games … These requirements apply only to players in Brazil and only to affected games.”) and says an age check is required “in some countries” without listing them; no EA page read names the United Kingdom for an 18+ check. On EA’s table the UK minimum age for a player’s own account is 13; younger players get a child account that needs a parent’s confirmation.

EA: “In some countries, an age check is required to access certain content.” Brazil is the only country EA names; EA says those requirements “apply only to players in Brazil and only to affected games”.

EA: “In some countries, an age check is required to access certain content.” Brazil is the only country EA names.

A retail purchase check, separate from an Online Safety Act content gate. It does not apply to every eBay purchase.

Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”.

Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom.

Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.

Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.

Facebook’s UK-English Help Centre lists the video-selfie and ID routes without naming countries. Its Facebook Dating age-check page says “This feature is only available in some states.” and its phone-number age-verification page, read from the UK, says “This feature is not available in your location.”

Facebook’s UK Help Centre lists the route without naming countries; no Meta page read states when it reached UK accounts.

Meta’s May 2026 post gives June 2026 as the planned UK start on Facebook; no later Meta page read confirms it. Visual analysis is “currently available in select countries”.

Applies by physical location or by a UK phone number: “If age verification is required based on the phone number associated with your account, you must verify, even if you leave that location”.

Google’s Account pages list no countries. YouTube’s age-estimation page says the model “is currently applied in several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and countries in the European Economic Area.” Google’s SafeSearch page: “SafeSearch settings and controls vary by country or territory in accordance with applicable local law.”

Google’s page: “Not all options of age verification are available in all regions.”

Google’s page: “Not all age verification options are available in all regions.”

Android only; Google’s page: “This option is not available in all regions.”

Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”.

Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

Instagram’s pages say the video-selfie route “is only available in some countries” and do not list them. Meta’s 5 May 2026 post says its AI teen-placement technology launched on Instagram in the UK; its visual analysis is “currently available in select countries”.

Instagram’s page: “This feature is only available in some countries.” UK availability is from Meta’s October 2022 plan and a 7 November 2022 press report, not from a Meta page naming the UK.

Meta: “certain advanced features — like visual analysis — are currently available in select countries as we work toward a broader rollout.”

Availability varies by jurisdiction; the recorded FAQ does not confirm which methods UK viewers receive.

Minecraft’s page names Java Edition chat; it does not say whether Bedrock Edition chat or other multiplayer features are restricted.

Microsoft: “If you are in the United Kingdom, you can verify your age now by selecting the Verify your age button”; the options “vary by country and region”.

Microsoft: “Different countries/regions have different age verification partners.” The UK is listed as a country where you can verify now.

Mumsnet’s stated position (staff reply of 31 July 2025) is that the Online Safety Act applies to it but the Child Safety Codes, including their age-check rules, do not, because it is not likely to be accessed by children. No Ofcom page read names Mumsnet.

Ofcom’s consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026, status “Pending Statement (Closed)”): Part 4 of the Media Act 2024 creates “a new regime for services called ‘Tier 1 Services’. These will be the most watched video on-demand services that meet a threshold of viewership set by Government”, with proposed rules including “protecting the under-eighteens”. The page does not name services.

Pinterest’s help page is not country-specific. Its privacy policy (effective 30 April 2025) lists among its uses of information: “Conduct age verification, as appropriate. This may include facial age estimation and matching your face against a government ID.”

The Google account route is offered “in a few regions” per Reddit; the UK page names the Apple route.

No Replika page read names the United Kingdom or the Online Safety Act. Italy’s data protection authority (decision of 10 April 2025, reported by the European Data Protection Board) found that until 2 February 2023 Luka “had not implemented any age verification mechanisms—either at registration or during use of the service” and that “the age verification system currently implemented by the controller continues to be deficient in several respects”.

Riot’s pages say the regions and ages vary and name only Brazil (under its ECA Digital Act, Riot says, minors cannot play games rated 18+ even with parental consent) and the US (optional, “except for Louisiana”); no Riot page read names the United Kingdom. The en-gb address of the Age Verification article returns 404; the en-us article, which the Wild Rift support site repeats word for word, was read.

Riot: adult verification is required “in some regions”; the regions are not listed and the UK is not named.

Threads’ video-selfie page: “This feature is only available in some countries.” No Threads page read names the UK.

Threads’ page: “This feature is only available in some countries.”

An account-eligibility check run by Vinted’s Customer Support, not an Online Safety Act content gate: no Vinted page read mentions the Online Safety Act or Ofcom. Vinted’s page does not say what prompts the request, so it is recorded as applying to accounts Vinted asks.

The original UK programme covered accounts declaring age 18+. Current Xbox guidance is regional; it does not establish that every restriction or method applies to every UK account.

Listed as “uploading a document” on Microsoft’s age-assurance FAQ (24 August 2026); the FAQ does not say which partner handles it for UK accounts.

Listed as “facial age estimation” on Microsoft’s age-assurance FAQ (24 August 2026).

Not listed on Microsoft’s current age-assurance FAQ (24 August 2026); the July 2025 announcement is the only source for this method.

Android only; Google says “This option is not available in all regions.”