Report from TechCrunch
In Brief – Reddit, which is reported to be the fastest growing social media platform in Great Britain, has announced that they are checking the age of users in the UK to bring their services into compliance with the Online Safety Act (OSA). To access restricted content, Reddit users will need to upload a selfie or government-issued ID through a third-party age verification service provider that will not access Reddit data and will delete images within seven days. Reddit will not see the user photos and will only retain users’ birthdates and verification status to avoid repeat checks. The OSA restricts minors from viewing a range of objectionable content including violent, abusive, or sexually explicit material, as well content that glamorizes depression, despair, or similar topics. Along with noting that a “growing number of jurisdictions” are moving to require online platforms to verify the ages of their users, the platform said that they were introducing a global option for users to self-report their birthdate “to help ensure that content and ads are age-appropriate”.
Context – Porn sites are often the first targets for online age verification mandates. France enacted national legislation requiring age checks for adult sites in 2024, and it has been partially implemented. In the United States, a Texas law requiring online verification for porn sites gave the Supreme Court an opportunity to provide some clarity on the legality of online age checks in the US, with a six-justice majority ruling that the law did not violate the First Amendment, in particular because minors had no First Amendment to access pornography. However, nearly everywhere where online age verification is being implemented for pornography, there is pressure to extend it more widely. Social media is the most popular target. The UK is there. Bluesky recently made a similar move to Reddit’s. French President Macron has called for a 15-year-old age limit for social media with age checks. Many US states are enacting age-based restrictions on social media, although they have faced skeptical federal judges. Australia has a 16-year-old age limit for social media and will also age check search engines.