Threads: age checks in the UK

Age check for some features: confirming a birthday change or lifting age restrictions on an account, through a Yoti video selfie or a passport or driving-licence photo. Threads’ pages say the selfie image is deleted within 30 days; its ID page states no retention period.

Age check for some content or features Social media Meta Platforms, Inc. verified 18 October 2026

Facts panel

Published statements are shown with their sources and the dates we checked them. Missing information and availability limits remain explicit.

Domain: threads.com
Age check: Threads’ video-selfie page: “This feature is only available in some countries.” No Threads page read names the UK.
Age check for some content or features
Triggered by: specific features; age estimated from account signals only
Applies to: accounts the service flags; accounts the service estimates to be under 18
Notes: Threads’ “Confirming your age on Threads” page (undated, read 18 October 2026): “In most regions, we require people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for Threads. In some regions, you may be required to confirm your age to continue using your account. You may also be required to verify your age to access certain features or to change your birthday on your account.” “If you’re over 18, you can confirm your age to make sure age restrictions aren’t placed on your account. If age restrictions have been incorrectly placed on your account, you can also confirm that you’re over 18.” “Teens are required to confirm their age with an ID check if they attempt to update their birthday from a younger age to an older age. If they attempt to change their birthday from an age under 18 to an age over 18, they may need to confirm their age with a video selfie or an ID check.” Meta’s “About Threads” page: a Threads profile is connected to the Instagram or Facebook account used to log in, and the data used “can include … Your age”. Meta’s report page: “We require people to be at least 13 years old to use Threads.”
Methods: Face scan Photo ID
Threads’ page: “This feature is only available in some countries.”
Vendor: Yoti
Overall record checked: 18 October 2026. Individual methods may have later checks, shown below.

Methods and retention, one row per method

Method	Provider	Retention, as published	Source
Facial age estimation (face scan)	Yoti	“Once your age has been estimated and shared with us, we will delete the image within 30 days. We don’t share any other information about you with the vendor.” Quoted from help.instagram.com; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Image deleted within 30 days (Threads help page). Notes: Threads’ “Confirming your age” page: “We partner with Yoti, a third party age verification service, to confirm people’s ages on Threads.” and “With Yoti, you can verify your age on Threads by taking a video selfie or uploading your ID.” Its video-selfie page names “vendors”: “If you choose to take a video selfie, we partner with vendors who use technology to estimate your age. After you’ve taken a video selfie, we’ll share an image from that selfie with the vendor. Our vendors’ technology only estimates age. It can’t identify specific people.” “It can take up to 20 minutes to verify your age.” That page says the check applies “If you are under 16 and trying to change your age on Threads to over 16”. Threads’ page: “This feature is only available in some countries.”	help.instagram.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026
Photo ID	Yoti	No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: Threads’ page: “The ID you choose must include a photo of your face and your birth date.” Passport and driver’s licence are listed. “Depending on the laws in your region, you may also be required to get parental approval if we determine you’re under a certain age.” The Threads ID page states no retention period; Instagram’s equivalent page says “We’ll delete your ID within 30 days” (see the Instagram record).	help.instagram.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

Method

Provider

Retention, as published

Source

Facial age estimation (face scan)

Yoti

“Once your age has been estimated and shared with us, we will delete the image within 30 days. We don’t share any other information about you with the vendor.”

Quoted from help.instagram.com; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Image deleted within 30 days (Threads help page).

Notes: Threads’ “Confirming your age” page: “We partner with Yoti, a third party age verification service, to confirm people’s ages on Threads.” and “With Yoti, you can verify your age on Threads by taking a video selfie or uploading your ID.” Its video-selfie page names “vendors”: “If you choose to take a video selfie, we partner with vendors who use technology to estimate your age. After you’ve taken a video selfie, we’ll share an image from that selfie with the vendor. Our vendors’ technology only estimates age. It can’t identify specific people.” “It can take up to 20 minutes to verify your age.” That page says the check applies “If you are under 16 and trying to change your age on Threads to over 16”.

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

help.instagram.com
Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

Photo ID

Yoti

No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026).

Notes: Threads’ page: “The ID you choose must include a photo of your face and your birth date.” Passport and driver’s licence are listed. “Depending on the laws in your region, you may also be required to get parental approval if we determine you’re under a certain age.” The Threads ID page states no retention period; Instagram’s equivalent page says “We’ll delete your ID within 30 days” (see the Instagram record).

help.instagram.com
Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

What you will see

What happens: If you change your birthday from under 18 to over 18 (the video-selfie page says under 16 to over 16), or want age restrictions removed from your account, Threads asks for a video selfie estimated by Yoti or a photo of a passport or driving licence, from the birthday settings in Accounts Center.
How long it takes: Threads’ page: “It can take up to 20 minutes to verify your age.”
If you decline: The birthday change does not go through and any age restrictions stay. Threads’ page: “In some regions, you may be required to confirm your age to continue using your account.” Meta’s report page says an account found to be under the minimum age is deleted.
Official help page: help.instagram.com

Still being verified

These points about this entry are not yet settled. They are shown rather than hidden. Until each is resolved, the facts panel records only what a published source says.

UK availability: Threads’ video-selfie page says the feature “is only available in some countries” and no Threads page read names the UK.
Which threshold applies: the video-selfie page says under 16 to over 16; the “Confirming your age on Threads” page says under 18 to over 18.
Retention of an ID submitted on Threads is not stated on the Threads page; Instagram’s equivalent page says 30 days.
Whether Meta’s AI age inference on Instagram (see the Instagram record) determines Threads restrictions. Meta says Threads uses the age from the connected Instagram or Facebook account; no Threads page describes inference.
Threads was not named in Ofcom’s 12 March 2026 letters, which went to Facebook and Instagram among others.

Questions people ask about Threads

Does Threads require age verification in the UK?

For some content or features. As of 18 October 2026, Threads asks UK users to complete an age check for specific features, applying to accounts the service flags and accounts the service estimates to be under 18. 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.”

Is the Threads age check a face scan?

A face scan (facial age estimation) is one of 2 recorded methods: Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Photo ID. Provider named: Yoti. Which methods a service offers can change; the date each was checked is shown on the page. 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.”

What does Threads keep after the age check?

Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) via Yoti: "Once your age has been estimated and shared with us, we will delete the image within 30 days. We don’t share any other information about you with the vendor." (help.instagram.com; checked 18 October 2026). Photo ID via Yoti: No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). 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.”

What if the Threads age check is not working?

This site records what the service publishes; it does not troubleshoot or offer workarounds. Threads's own help page is https://help.instagram.com/1974468993149394/. The record lists 2 methods; availability depends on the service and account: Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Photo ID. If you do not complete the check, the service states: The birthday change does not go through and any age restrictions stay. Threads’ page: “In some regions, you may be required to confirm your age to continue using your account.” Meta’s report page says an account found to be under the minimum age is deleted. 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.”

Regulator actions

No Ofcom or ICO action naming this service is recorded as of 18 October 2026.

Full enforcement register · Regulatory timeline

Sources for this entry

Threads Help: Confirming your age on Threads (“We partner with Yoti”) service help
Threads Help: How does video selfie verification work on Threads service help
Threads Help: How using your ID to verify your age works on Threads service help
Threads Help: About Teen Accounts on Threads service help
Threads Help: About Threads (information from your Instagram or Facebook account, including your age) service help
Threads Help: Report a Threads user under the minimum age service help

Changes to this record

2026-10-18 — seed: Record created from Meta’s Threads help pages (Confirming your age on Threads, video selfie, ID, Teen Accounts, About Threads, report a user under the minimum age) read 18 October 2026, with research/01 row 9 as the starting point only. The seed had Threads as “no UK-specific gate found”; Threads’ own pages describe a Yoti video selfie or ID check for birthday changes and age restrictions. seed

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