Which online services check your age in the UK, how, and what they say they keep
23 services, one row each: whether there is an age check, what triggers it, the methods and the vendor, and the service's or vendor's own retention wording quoted with the source and the date we checked it. Vendor profiles, a regulatory timeline and Ofcom's enforcement register are linked from every row.
Facts only. No scores, no ratings, and nothing about avoiding a check. Where a service and its vendor say different things, both are shown with dates. How this is compiled.
| Service | Age check | Triggered by | Methods | Vendor | Retention, as published | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple devices (iOS 26.4 UK age check) Device and app store · 1 point still being verified |
Age check required since 25 March 2026 |
the whole service | Credit cardPhoto ID | Apple, in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Bluesky Social media · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 10 July 2025 |
adult or mature content; messaging and chat | Credit cardPhoto IDFace scan | Epic Kids Web Services, in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) AI chat · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 21 January 2026 |
age estimated from account signals only; specific features | Face scanPhoto ID | Persona, in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Discord Messaging · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since July 2025 |
adult or mature content; specific features | Face scanPhoto ID | k-ID, Veratad | “k-ID does NOT store the information that you provide to prove your age. All we store is the result of the…” k-ID · quoted from k-id.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Grindr Dating |
Age check required since 25 July 2025 |
the whole service | Face scanPhoto ID | in-house | “permanently deleted once age assurance is complete. Grindr will not retain the documents or videos you…” Grindr in-house with FaceTec liveness · quoted from grindr.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Kick (streaming) Video and streaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features | adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto ID | k-ID, in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| OnlyFans Adult · 1 point still being verified |
Age check required since 2025 |
the whole service | Photo IDFace scan | Ondato, Yoti | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| PlayStation Gaming |
Age check required since April 2026 |
messaging and chat; specific features | Mobile operatorFace scanPhoto ID | Yoti, in-house | “Yoti deletes your facial geometry data as soon as your verification is complete. PlayStation never collects,…” Yoti · quoted from playstation.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube (Aylo) Adult · 1 point still being verified |
Age check required since 24 July 2025 |
the whole service | EmailCredit cardMobile operatorOpen bankingOther | Apple, in-house | “UK users who have verified their age will retain access through their existing accounts.” Aylo in-house and third parties · quoted from aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Reddit Social media · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 14 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto ID | Persona, in-house | “Persona deletes all of your personal information including any images within 3 days.” Persona · quoted from help.withpersona.com, checked 6 September 2026 · +1 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Roblox Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check required since 7 January 2026 |
messaging and chat | Face scanPhoto ID | Persona, in-house | “Images and video used for Facial Age Estimation are deleted immediately after they've been securely processed.” Persona · quoted from about.roblox.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Snapchat Social media · 1 point still being verified |
No active age check | age estimated from account signals only | Inference only | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Spotify Music |
Age check for some content or features since July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto ID | Yoti, in-house | “After the age assurance process is complete, Yoti will delete all the user's data.” Yoti · quoted from spotify.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Steam Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 29 August 2025 |
adult or mature content | Credit card | in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Telegram Messaging · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 28 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scan | in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| TikTok Social media · 1 point still being verified |
No active age check | age estimated from account signals only | Inference only | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Tinder and Hinge (Match Group) Dating · 1 point still being verified |
Age check required since 25 July 2025 |
the whole service | Face scan | in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Tumblr Social media |
Age check for some content or features since 6 May 2026 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto IDOpen banking | k-ID, in-house | “Facial scan data never leaves your device.” k-ID · quoted from changes.tumblr.com, checked 6 September 2026 · +1 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Twitch Video and streaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 16 September 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scan | k-ID | “Twitch and k-ID do not store your face scan video selfies. The video selfie is analyzed entirely on your…” k-ID · quoted from k-id.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Wikipedia Other |
No active age check | nothing | none | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| X (Twitter) and Grok Social media · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 25 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto IDEmail | Persona, in-house | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Xbox Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 28 July 2025 |
messaging and chat; specific features | Photo IDFace scanMobile operatorCredit card | Yoti, in-house | “The information players provide is protected with industry-standard encryption and is not stored or used for…” Yoti · quoted from news.xbox.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| YouTube and Google Account Video and streaming |
Age check for some content or features since 2025 |
age estimated from account signals only; specific features | Photo IDCredit cardFace scanEmail | Google, VerifyMy, in-house | “deleted after your date of birth is successfully verified” Google · quoted from support.google.com, checked 6 September 2026 · +3 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
Status labels: Age check required means the whole service or its core features are behind a check; for some content or features means only the listed triggers are; no active age check means no check was found on the date shown, which includes services that estimate age from account signals instead. "Verified" is the date a human last read the sources. Older than 60 days is marked grey; older than 120 days is moved to the bottom.
Vendors
10 age-assurance vendors: methods, quoted retention policy, certifications, regulator history, incidents, and the vendor-default-versus-deployer table.
Methods
What each method collects and what Ofcom has said about it: face scan, photo ID, credit card, open banking, mobile operator, email estimation, digital ID, inference.
Timeline and enforcement
Every dated regulatory event since January 2025 with the upcoming ones pinned first, and Ofcom's and the ICO's fines and investigations, dated and linked.