Sony Begins Age Verification for PlayStation Users in the UK and Ireland

PlayStation owners in the United Kingdom and Ireland are being asked to verify their age to keep using certain features on their consoles. This process is in response to a UK law intended to protect children from online predators. 

The process, outlined on Sony’s website, applies to every PlayStation user based in the UK and Ireland, and has already rolled out. Verification will be mandatory starting June 2026, and a failure to verify will prevent PlayStation owners from accessing social features such as voice chat, text messaging, and party and group sessions.

There are three ways users can verify their age. They can submit a government-issued document such as a passport, driver’s license or national ID; complete a facial scan that estimates age from a selfie; or allow a check against the age they registered with their mobile carrier. Sony is using Yoti, the same identity service Microsoft adopted when Xbox rolled out its own age checks in July 2025 to comply with the same law.

Those who choose not to go through the age verification process won’t be locked out of their consoles — they can still play their games, use the PlayStation Store, access trophies and enjoy most single-player experiences. 

But anyone who doesn’t comply with the process won’t be able to access the previously mentioned social features, livestreaming to YouTube and Twitch, or third-party chat integrations such as Discord, until their age is verified. There could also be in-game features in certain games that are locked out, such as content sharing among players or in-game chat. Sony warns that additional restrictions could follow as individual publishers update their systems.

The policy requiring age verification is the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires online platforms to shield children from harmful content and to verify users’ ages. 

There’s been a concerted push for age verification by child safety groups and governments to curb the possible threats to children from online predators. 

The Kids’ Internet and Digital Safety Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in March, includes a section dedicated to video game providers that would require them to institute safeguards for children. 

Earlier this month, Roblox, a popular gaming platform played by millions of children in the US, settled lawsuits to the tune of $35 million with Nevada, Alabama and West Virginia over child safety complaints. Roblox began rolling out its own age verification after it faced more than 140 lawsuits filed in 2025 that alleged the company knowingly allowed child predators to target minors on its platform.