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PlayStation users in the UK are about to run into a new kind of gatekeeper, and it has nothing to do with trophies or bandwidth. Sony is preparing to enforce age verification on PS4 and PS5 consoles as part of the UK’s Online Safety Act, with social features set to take the first hit.
Starting in June 2026, players who have not verified their age will still be able to keep gaming, but some of the most familiar PlayStation functions will be locked away. Voice chat, messaging, parties, and other third-party communication tools will be unavailable until verification is complete. Sony is also extending the same rules to streaming-related features, including broadcasting gameplay and sharing clips directly to YouTube or Twitch from a console.
The small print is getting bigger
Sony has already begun notifying users in the UK and Ireland, and the company says the process will be handled through Yoti, the identity verification service it has chosen for the rollout. Players will be able to confirm their age using a mobile number, a face scan, or an ID document.
The move mirrors Microsoft’s approach on Xbox, where age verification was introduced in the UK last year with Yoti providing the checks. There too, players must be over 18 to keep full access to social features such as voice chat, text communication, and game invitations. The message is hard to miss: the era of frictionless social access on consoles is ending, at least in markets where online safety laws now carry real teeth.
For UK and Ireland PlayStation owners, there is a simple way to avoid the headache later. Age verification can be completed early, before the June deadline arrives and features start disappearing. With more parts of the Online Safety Act coming into force this year, Sony and Microsoft are both moving to get ahead of the curve, even if it means putting a few more hoops in front of players who just want to jump into a party and game with friends.
Source: theverge
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