Microsoft have become the latest company to start introducing age verification measures in response to the the Online Safety Act that’s just come into force in the UK. Folks logging into Xbox services with a Microsoft account from today will start getting optional notifications directing them to verify they’re over 18, with the checks becoming a hard requirement in early 2026.
To be clear, these checks are UK-only for now, in line with this new legislation that aims to stop users who aren’t verified as over 18 seeing content that’s illegal or deemed unsuitable for children.
All of this is outlined in an Xbox Wire post penned by the console maker’s vice president of gaming trust and safety, Kim Kunes. If you’re on Sadness Island and have a Microsoft account that flags your age as 18 and over, then you should start getting notifications asking you to confirm how old you are via third-party verification software Yoti soon.
The check’ll require you to take a live photo, upload one of your government-issued ID (in the form of a passport, driving licence, or national ID card), provide your mobile phone number, or enter your credit card details. So, the usual suite of stuff you’d probably rather not be giving out on a whim.
For now, these checks will stay optional, meaning you can truck on in the short term and retain access to all the usual features. Though, if you opt not to do it, once early 2026 rolls around a number of features on your account will be limited to working with friends only. These include voice and text comms, party functionality, game invites, and “user generated content”, including the activity feed.
You’ll also totally lose access to the looking for group and custom clubs features, Discord integration, and the ability to broadcast gameplay to Twitch.
“As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we’ll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process,” Kunes wrote, “We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to player safety, so these methods may look different across regions and experiences.”
In addition to forcing folks to upload snaps of their mugs to prove they’re old enough to see a boob or a swear, the introduction of this Online Safety Act in the UK has led to modding sites changing how they handle adult content, with some interesting consequences for certain modders and their works.
