Over the past few days, people in the UK have been bombarded with all kinds of age-verification processes thanks to the country’s new Online Safety Act, locking them out of sites that could potentially host inappropriate content. Not only do people have to verify their age to access the internet’s more explicit sites, but there have also beenreports of people getting locked out of their own Discord servers. Thankfully,Sam Bridges was on hand to help out.
Before today, it was only really social media and certain websites that were affected, but it now looks like these age-verification processes have started to infect consoles too.First reported by The Verge, it appears as thoughXboxusers are now being given the option to verify their age upon signing in, with prompts given to accounts that claim to be over the age of 18.
Xbox Users In The UK Will Be Required To Verify Their Age Starting Next Year
Right now, this age-verification process is entirely optional, but it won’t remain that way for long.Outlined by Kim Kunes- Xbox’s Vice President of Gaming Trust & Safety - it will become mandatory to verify your age when using an Xbox, or you’ll be locked out of several social features such as voice/text communication and game invites. All of your system’s social features will also “become limited to friends only”.
If you’re currently in Europe and sat there thinking about how much it must suck to be English right now, there’s a chance this age-verification requirement could hit you as well. Kunes goes on to say that the age-verification process will be rolled out to more countries in the future, though the exact ones aren’t mentioned. Kunes does state that “these methods may look different across regions and experiences” though.
So, if you’re an Xbox user and plan to keep using the system’s social functions, you’ll have to swallow your pride and verify your age before next year. Just like with other services, you’ll be required to provide Microsoft with either a selfie, a scan of your passport/driver’s license, a credit card check, or your mobile phone number.
Right now, it appears as though Xbox is the only console to roll out optional age-verification. Nintendo is notoriously family-friendly, so much so that it won’t even commit to Mario and Peach being in a relationship, while PlayStation shares far too many similarities to Xbox to avoid sharing the same fate. Neither have commented on future age-verification processes just yet, though I imagine it won’t be long until they follow suit.
