UK age verification: who checks and what they keep
Explore 23 services: what triggers an age check, who provides it and what the published policies say about your data. Sources and checked dates are included.
Independent, sourced records. Unknowns are labelled. How we check the evidence.
Start with a question instead: Why is this service asking me to verify my age? · What happens to your photo ID or selfie? · How the check works on each service
| Service | Age check | Triggered by | Methods | Vendor | Retention, as published | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple devices (iOS 26.4 UK age check) Device and app store · 1 point still being verified |
Check required for listed access since 25 March 2026 |
the whole service | Credit cardPhoto ID | Apple | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Bluesky Social media · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 10 July 2025 |
adult or mature content; messaging and chat | Credit cardPhoto IDFace scan | Epic Kids Web Services | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) AI chat · 2 points still being verified |
Not established UK rollout and requirement are not confirmed by the recorded source. |
age estimated from account signals only; specific features | Face scanPhoto IDInference | Persona, In-house age inference | “Persona handles age verification and deletes your uploaded ID or selfie within 7 days after verification.” Persona · quoted from help.openai.com, checked 7 September 2026 · +1 more |
verified 7 September 2026 |
| Discord Messaging · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since July 2025 |
adult or mature content; specific features | Face scanPhoto IDDigital ID Google Wallet is described as a test, not a general rollout. |
k-ID, Google | “Video selfies for facial age estimation are processed entirely on-device and never stored.” k-ID · quoted from support.discord.com, checked 11 September 2026 · +2 more |
verified 7 September 2026 |
| Grindr Dating |
Check required for listed access since 25 July 2025 |
the whole service | Face scanPhoto ID | Grindr in-house with FaceTec liveness, Grindr in-house | “permanently deleted once age assurance is complete. Grindr will not retain the documents or videos you…” Grindr in-house with FaceTec liveness · quoted from grindr.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Kick (streaming) Video and streaming · 2 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features | adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto IDCredit cardReusable ID Availability varies by jurisdiction; the recorded FAQ does not confirm which methods UK viewers receive. |
k-ID | “For facial age estimation, facial data is processed locally, and images never leave your device.” k-ID · quoted from help.kick.com, checked 7 September 2026 · +3 more |
verified 7 September 2026 |
| OnlyFans Adult · 1 point still being verified |
Check required for listed access since 2025 |
the whole service | Photo IDFace scan | Ondato, Yoti | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| PlayStation Gaming |
Check required for listed access since April 2026 |
messaging and chat; specific features | Mobile operatorFace scanPhoto ID | Yoti | “Yoti deletes your facial geometry data as soon as your verification is complete. PlayStation never collects,…” Yoti · quoted from playstation.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube (Aylo) Adult · 1 point still being verified |
Check required for listed access since 24 July 2025 |
the whole service | EmailCredit cardMobile operatorOpen bankingOther | Apple, Aylo in-house and third parties, Aylo | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Reddit Social media · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 14 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto ID | Persona | “Persona deletes all of your personal information including any images within 3 days.” Persona · quoted from help.withpersona.com, checked 11 September 2026 · +1 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Roblox Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Check required for listed access since 7 January 2026 |
messaging and chat | Face scanPhoto ID | Persona | “Images and video used for Facial Age Estimation are deleted immediately after they've been securely processed.” Persona · quoted from about.roblox.com, checked 11 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Snapchat Social media · 1 point still being verified |
No active verification prompt recorded | age estimated from account signals only | Inference only | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Spotify Music |
Age check for some content or features since July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto ID | Yoti | “After the age assurance process is complete, Yoti will delete all the user's data.” Yoti · quoted from spotify.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Steam Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 29 August 2025 |
adult or mature content | Credit card | Valve (in-house) | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Telegram Messaging · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 28 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scan | Telegram in-house (official bot) | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| TikTok Social media · 1 point still being verified |
No active verification prompt recorded | age estimated from account signals only | Inference only | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Tinder and Hinge (Match Group) Dating · 1 point still being verified |
Check required for listed access since 25 July 2025 |
the whole service | Face scan | Match Group in-house; FaceTec liveness | No published retention period found (checked 6 September 2026). | verified 6 September 2026 |
| Tumblr Social media |
Age check for some content or features since 6 May 2026 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto IDOpen banking | k-ID | “Facial scan data never leaves your device.” k-ID · quoted from changes.tumblr.com, checked 6 September 2026 · +1 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Twitch Video and streaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 16 September 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scan | k-ID | “Twitch and k-ID do not store your face scan video selfies. The video selfie is analyzed entirely on your…” k-ID · quoted from k-id.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| Wikipedia Other |
No active verification prompt recorded | nothing | none | — | No check recorded | verified 6 September 2026 |
| X (Twitter) and Grok Social media · 3 points still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 25 July 2025 |
adult or mature content | Face scanPhoto IDEmailInference | Provider not identified, not named, In-house age inference | No published retention period found (checked 7 September 2026). | verified 7 September 2026 |
| Xbox Gaming · 1 point still being verified |
Age check for some content or features since 28 July 2025 |
messaging and chat; specific features | Photo IDFace scanMobile operatorCredit card | Yoti | “The information players provide is protected with industry-standard encryption and is not stored or used for…” Yoti · quoted from news.xbox.com, checked 6 September 2026 |
verified 6 September 2026 |
| YouTube and Google Account Video and streaming |
Age check for some content or features since 2025 |
age estimated from account signals only; specific features | Photo IDCredit cardFace scanEmail | Google, VerifyMy | “deleted after your date of birth is successfully verified” Google · quoted from support.google.com, checked 6 September 2026 · +3 more |
verified 6 September 2026 |
No matching services. Try a different name or clear the filters.
Status labels: Check required for listed access means a check applies to the access described in “Triggered by”; it does not always cover the whole account; for some content or features means only the listed triggers are; no active verification prompt recorded means no prompt was found on the date shown, which includes services that estimate age from account signals instead. "Verified" is the date a human last read the sources. Older than 60 days is marked grey; older than 120 days is moved to the bottom.
Vendors
10 age-assurance vendors: methods, quoted retention policy, certifications, regulator history, incidents, and the service-specific retention comparison.
Methods
What each method collects and what Ofcom has said about it: face scan, photo ID, credit card, open banking, mobile operator, email estimation, digital ID, inference.
Timeline and enforcement
Every dated regulatory event since January 2025 with the upcoming ones pinned first, and Ofcom's and the ICO's fines and investigations, dated and linked.