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Online age verification laws are spreading fast. Governments are passing legislation designed to protect children from viewing adult or harmful content online.
What started as a handful of national and state-level measures has become a broader global push, with countries introducing ID checks, facial age estimation, digital identity tools, and social media restrictions aimed at younger users.
IDs, credit card information, and selfies are all examples of personal data that is collected by third-parties in order to verify your age. It's highly sensitive, and the consequences of a data breach could be devastating.
The result is a fast-moving patchwork of laws, proposals, and enforcement measures that now stretches far beyond the US. So, we've detailed all the major age verification laws in countries around the world.
US
Modern age verification laws in the US can be traced back to Louisiana. The state first introduced rules requiring sites hosting adult content to verify that users are over 18 in January 2023.
Since then, the model has spread quickly. According to the Free Speech Coalition, 25 states have now passed some form of age verification law, with bills pending in 16 states.
In many cases, platforms must introduce checks if at least one-third of their content is considered harmful to minors. VPNs have been caught up in legislation, with lawmakers in Michigan and Wisconsin calling for VPN blocks. Interest in VPNs surged across the country, with Arizona recording the largest spike.
California passed an age verification bill in October 2025, due to come into effect in January 2027. However, date of birth is required when setting up new devices, rather than sensitive personal data. People are asking if California's approach is the safest way of verifying your age.
You can read our US age verification timeline for more detail on laws in the country.
UK
The UK introduced wide-scale online age verification on July 25, 2025, through the Online Safety Act (OSA).
Platforms hosting adult or other harmful content must now perform robust checks to stop minors from accessing it.
Accepted methods can include photo ID, facial age estimation, and checks through banks or mobile providers. The rollout triggered a sharp privacy debate, while Ofcom has started enforcement action against non-compliant operators.
More than six-months on from OSA's introduction, debate is still raging. MPs have called for a VPN ban, alongside age checks for the privacy tools. The House of Lords voted to ban VPN use for children and the UK government is currently undergoing a consultation. Privacy advocates have labelled a proposed VPN ban as "draconian."
Australia
Australia started imposing stricter age verification rules on March 9, 2026, requiring users to prove they are over 18 before accessing platforms hosting adult content. The move followed another major change: a social media ban for under 16s that took effect in December 2025.
Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to block underage users can face heavy penalties. Interest in VPNs also surged in the days surrounding the law's effective date. Several VPN apps – including potentially risky VPNs – climbed Australian app store rankings.
France
France now requires websites hosting adult content to introduce reliable age checks, with non compliant platforms at risk of being blocked by internet service providers. ID is required to prove your age, and websites can be blocked at ISP level.
The rules have already had visible consequences. PornHub withdrew from France rather than implement the required system.
France is also considering tighter restrictions on children's social media use. At the end of January 2026, members of its lower national assembly voted 130 to 21 in favour of an under-15 social media ban. The goal is to introduce measures by September 2026.
Italy
Italy has introduced age verification requirements for websites hosting adult or harmful content, requiring platforms to confirm that users are over 18 before granting access. Affected sites are not allowed to promote VPNs as a workaround.
The country is also considering broader restrictions on social media use by younger users, though no nationwide ban has been finalized.
Spain
Spain has begun implementing age verification requirements for adult websites. It's also developing a national digital identity system that could make reusable age checks easier across online services.
Lawmakers have also discussed a social media ban for under-16s, though the proposal remains under consideration. Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said he wants to protect children "from the digital Wild West."
Germany
Germany has long required age verification for adult content under its youth protection rules, but enforcement tightened in December 2025.
Regulators can now go beyond blocking websites and require banks or payment providers to stop processing payments for platforms that fail to use approved age verification systems.
Various political parties support a social media ban for minors, but no decision is expected until at least mid-2026.
EU
The EU as a whole has not introduced a single bloc-wide age verification law, but the Digital Services Act (DSA) has increased pressure on major platforms to better protect minors online.
11 EU member states signed a joint letter urging mandatory age verification in DSA guidelines.
At the same time, the EU is working toward digital identity wallets that could eventually let users verify their age across multiple services without repeatedly sharing personal data.
Alongside those EU countries that have passed age verification laws, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia are all considering social media bans, age verification laws, or both.
Greece, Denmark, France, Italy, and Spain are piloting an EU age verification app, which is due to be released in March 2026.
In November 2025, the European Parliament voted 483-92 in favor of limiting social media access for under-16s.
Malaysia
Malaysia introduced new licensing rules for major social media and messaging platforms in January 2026 as part of a wider push to tighten online controls.
Age verification requirements also apply to some online services hosting adult content.
Indonesia
Indonesia is due to introduce a new social media ban on March 28, 2026. The government will "delay access" to social media accounts for under-16s, while gradually deactivating accounts held on "high-risk platforms."
Details of enforcement are still emerging, including what age assurance methods platforms may need to use. Children under 13 will be limited to apps designed for their age group. Those aged 13-16 will need to gain parental consent to access as apps classified as low-risk.
UAE
The UAE now requires all platforms – not just social media – to implement age verification, content filtering, and parental controls for users under 18. The law states that age checks must be proportionate to a site's risk classification.
Full compliance must take place by January 2027.
What's next?
Countless other countries are currently discussing proposed age verification laws and social media bans – we expect to be regularly adding to our curated list.
The direction of travel is clear, even if the technical standards still vary widely. VPNs will continue to be caught up in legislation, and unfairly targeted in the name of digital safety. Attempts to ban or age-gate VPNs have so far been unsuccessful. But governments will keep on trying, and we should continue to resist any reduction in our online privacy.
The question remains as to whether governments can enforce these systems without creating new privacy and cybersecurity risks. Some of the methods describe are technical impossible or risk undermining the core principles of technology like VPNs.
Nobody is saying children should not be protected online. But safety measures and age verification should not negatively impact the digital privacy of adults, and every internet user, in the process. This tension is at the very core of the global age verification debate.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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