As a UK-based PC gamer, I feel like I'm constantly dodging age verification checks. For just one particularly annoying example, X alternative BlueSky won't let me back into my Direct Messages until I've allowed the Epic Games-owned KWS to take a gander at either my bank card, my ID, or my actual face. On the principle of privacy, I've refused to do this. I thought I was being clever by relying on Discord for all of my gamer communication needs instead—oh, how foolish I was.
Discord recently announced it would be rolling out age checks to all users globally from March. I'd managed to avoid its earlier age verification 'experiments', but next month everyone on Discord will be locked into a "teen-appropriate experience" by default. This will lock users out of age-gated servers and blur 'sensitive' content, unless they jump through age assurance hoops.
