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   ID, please  inside the age verification "mess" splintering the US internet   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   After the UK, age verification laws are changing the internet in the US, ....   
      
   FULL STORY   
   ======================================================================   
      
   Mandatory age verification has created a stir among internet users after it   
   landed in the UK at the end of July. Yet similar requirements are also coming   
   to the US, state by state.    
      
   On the other side of the Atlantic, Brits have turned en masse to the best VPN   
   services to avoid scanning their face or passports to access their favorite   
   apps. Age checks arent limited to adult-only websites. The likes of Reddit,    
   X, Instagram, Roblox, and even Spotify must age-gate content defined as    
   "legal but harmful."    
      
   In the US, on a federal level, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is still   
   under consideration after being reintroduced in Congress in May. Over 20   
   states have passed some form of age verification regulations, and others are   
   in the process of doing the same.    
      
   The scope of these laws varies from state to state, and so do the rules.    
      
   Some previously focused on enforcing mandatory age checks on adult-only sites   
   since at least 2023. Now, some states are in the process of beefing up   
   regulations by targeting minors' access to social media, harmful content, or   
   both. And all in different ways.    
      
   "It's just a mess," a Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert at the Internet   
   Society, John Perrino, told TechRadar. "And, frankly, it's probably unlikely   
   to provide any meaningful online safety protections for young people."   
      
   A state-by-state legal mess   
      
   The unique issues around the US age verification laws lie in the fact that   
   tech providers will be required to shape their service differently according   
   to where their users are based. Let's look at some examples.    
      
   The Mississippi regulation has made headlines recently as Bluesky exited the   
   market to avoid complying with the new rules that would force the social    
   media provider to restrict access to the site for every unverified user.    
      
   Yet, the Twitter rival didn't do so in South Dakota and Wyoming , where   
   similar legislation has also passed. As Bluesky explains in an official   
   announcement , "users in South Dakota and Wyoming can choose from multiple   
   methods to verify their age." An approach that, according to the company,   
   "strikes the right balance."    
      
    Tennessee has taken age verification requirements even further. It's the    
   only US state that requires anyone trying to access certain restricted   
   websites or apps to upload their ID every 60 minutes .    
      
    Texas, Utah , and Louisiana are all examples of laws where age checks happen   
   before downloading the app. While Kansas enacted a law in 2024 that requires   
   sites where at least 25% of content is "harmful to minors" to verify users    
   are 18 or older using a government-issued ID.    
      
   Backed by the likes of Google, Meta, and OpenAI, California 's age   
   verification proposal would then require device makers and app stores to   
   verify users' age.    
      
   While this overview can only scratch the surface of the US age verification   
   landscape  you can check the full list put together by the Free Speech   
   Coalition  it's enough to show how complicated these policies are. Not only   
   logistic problems    
      
   "There are a lot of grey areas and, even though two dozen laws have been   
   passed so far, we're still figuring out what all of this means for people and   
   online services," Perrino told TechRadar.    
      
   Surely, though, issues aren't limited to logistics. Similar to the UK age   
   verification law , in fact, these requirements mean that citizens have to   
   share their most sensitive pieces of information with tech providers  whether   
   that's their biometric details, banking accounts, or government-issued ID.    
      
   Considering that the US still lacks a comprehensive data protection   
   legislation, this would occur while lacking strong accountability mechanisms   
   against data misues.    
      
   Beyond privacy violations, such an invasive data collection could also cause   
   security risks of this data being hacked or leaked.    
      
   Then there's the broad language around "harmful but legal" content, worrying   
   experts about the potential negative impact on Americans' right to free    
   speech and access to information. Uploading government ID or biometric data    
   is tremendously risky. Many consumers worry that such information could be   
   stolen and used for identity theft or to access other systems.   
      
   These concerns are exactly why every time a US state passes an age   
   verification law, there's a surge of VPN usage among citizens.    
      
   A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that both encrypts internet   
   connections and spoofs IP addresses.    
      
   Picking a VPN server based in a country with no such requirements will allow   
   users to access adult-only sites, social media platforms, and any other   
   restricted websites without the need to scan their face or ID card.    
      
   This trend has fueled a debate around VPN blocking, with Michigan taking the   
   hardest stance and proposing a requirement to ban the use of circumventing   
   tools in its " Anticorruption of Public Morals Act " proposal.    
      
   All in all, Perrino expects these laws to turn people away  all ages and not   
   just minors  from services like social media platforms, which currently give   
   them opportunities to connect, work, or stay informed.   
      
   While US states are busy discussing and enacting age verification   
   requirements, the White House seems to be taking a two-sided approach to the   
   matter.    
      
   The Congress has, in fact, resurrected the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA),   
   which will impose a duty of care on online services to prevent and mitigate   
   harms to minors.    
      
   A similar European legislation, however, the Digtal Service Act (DSA) was   
   heavily criticised by both the US President Trump and the Federal Trade   
   Commission (FTC).    
      
   As reported by Reuters , the Trump administration has considered imposing   
   sanctions on the EU for censoring Americans and imposing higher costs on US   
   tech firms under the DSA.    
      
   This pledge came only a few days after the FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson wrote a   
   letter to 13 US Big Tech companies, asking them to resist UK and EU demands    
   to censor content.   
      
   What's next?    
      
   While it is yet to be seen what the full impact on American users and tech   
   companies would look like as more laws are enacted, digital rights experts   
   believe that age verification is not the right solution to the children's   
   online safety conundrum.    
      
   "We do need better online safety protections, particularly for young people.   
   Yet I think that the focus on age verification is misguided," Perrino told   
   TechRadar.    
      
   More efficient solutions may include better default protections for parents   
   and young people that don't invade their privacy and security. Education and   
   media literacy are also needed to prepare both minors and adults to the   
   dangers of having a digital life.    
      
   All in all, Perrino believes that such a splintered age verification policy   
   landscape may be bound to fail, ultimately bringing more harm than good.    
      
   He said: "Technically, the internet is not divided state by state  nor   
   necessarily, country by country. It's a global internet. The patchwork of   
   these age verification rules just won't work for people, and it will change   
   the internet as we know it."   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/id-please-inside-the-age-ve   
   rification-mess-splintering-the-us-internet   
      
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