X (Twitter) and Grok: age checks in the UK
Sensitive media is gated in the UK since 25 July 2025. Methods include facial estimation, photo ID, email estimation and network inference; manual checks reported as Premium-only. Ofcom investigation into X and Grok open since 12 January 2026.
Age check for some content or features Social media X Corp. 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
- x.com
- Age check
- Age check for some content or features, first recorded 25 July 2025
- Triggered by
- adult or mature content
- Applies to
- all UK users
- Notes
- Grok “spicy” imagery is gated through the same X age assurance. X's page lists the UK Online Safety Act, the Irish Online Safety Code, the EU Digital Services Act and Australia's Online Safety Act as the reasons for the check.
- Methods
- Face scanPhoto IDEmailInference
- Vendor
- Other recorded providers for face scan, photo id, email (not named), inference
- 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) | Provider not identified |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: X's own page: “Users can upload a live selfie, which will be used to estimate their age by our artificial intelligence systems.” X's own page names no vendor and gives no retention period. Press in July 2025 reported Persona and Au10tix deleting ID images, selfies and extracted data after 30 days, and named Stripe; X does not publish this. |
help.x.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Photo ID | Provider not identified |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: X's own page: “Users can submit a government-issued ID, which will be used to estimate their age by artificial intelligence systems.” X's own page names no vendor and gives no retention period. Press in July 2025 reported Persona and Au10tix deleting ID images, selfies and extracted data after 30 days, and named Stripe; X does not publish this. |
help.x.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Email-based estimation | not named |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: X's own page: “Users’ email address will be used to estimate their age.” No retention wording is published for it. |
help.x.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| In-house age inference | Provider not identified |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: Two groups on X's own page. Signals X treats as verification without asking the user: a previously self-attested age under 18, a previously completed X ID verification, Legacy Verified status, an account created in 2012 or earlier, and grey-badged (government) or gold-badged (Premium Business) accounts. Separately, X estimates age from the phone number on the account. No retention wording is published for either. |
help.x.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
What you will see
- What happens
- X first tries to settle age from signals it already holds, then from the email address or phone number on the account. Only where that fails is the user offered a live selfie or a government ID. Until X can determine the age, sensitive media stays hidden.
- How long it takes
- Not stated by the service.
- If you decline
- Sensitive media stays hidden. X's page says an age decision can be challenged “by contacting X Support through the app or website”.
- Official help page
- help.x.com
Questions people ask about X and Grok
Does X and Grok require age verification in the UK?
For some content or features. As of 18 October 2026, X and Grok asks UK users to complete an age check for adult or mature content, applying to all UK users. First recorded 25 July 2025.
Is the X and Grok age check a face scan?
A face scan (facial age estimation) is one of 4 recorded methods: Facial age estimation (face scan), Photo ID, Email-based estimation and In-house age inference. Provider named: not named. Which methods a service offers can change; the date each was checked is shown on the page.
What does X and Grok keep after the age check?
Facial age estimation (face scan) via the service: No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Photo ID via the service: No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Email-based estimation via not named: No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). In-house age inference via the service: No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026).
What if the X and Grok age check is not working?
This site records what the service publishes; it does not troubleshoot or offer workarounds. X and Grok's own help page is https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/age-assurance. The record lists 4 methods; availability depends on the service and account: Facial age estimation (face scan), Photo ID, Email-based estimation and In-house age inference. If you do not complete the check, the service states: Sensitive media stays hidden. X's page says an age decision can be challenged “by contacting X Support through the app or website”.
Has a regulator taken action over X and Grok's age checks?
Ofcom, 12 January 2026: Investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery, including highly effective age assurance.
Regulator actions
- — Ofcom: Investigation opened. Investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery, including highly effective age assurance. ofcom.org.uk
Sources for this entry
- Age Assurance on X — X help centre service policy
- ppc.land press 26 July 2025
Changes to this record
- — last_verified: X’s age assurance page re-read 18 October 2026: wording unchanged; it still names no vendor, publishes no retention period for any method and carries no page date. manual
- — methods: help page read in a browser (previously 403): rows upgraded to primary and vendor names removed from them because X names no vendor; phone-number and account-signal inference added; the 30-day retention figure moved to notes as press-only, so the rows now render the no-published-retention line manual
- — seed: record created from research/01 and research/02 seed
Correct this entry
If X and Grok's own page says something different, that page wins and we want to know. Send a correction with the URL. Corrections are answered within a week and logged above with their source. Nothing you send is published.