To comply with the new legislation in Texas, Utah, and Louisiana, Google is launching age verification on the Play Store. Users will now have to verify their age to download certain applications intended for adults. However, minors will still be able to obtain parental permission.
Age verification is becoming more common worldwide, going beyond the United States. In England alone, Spotify stirred controversy by asking users for their age to listen to certain explicit tracks.
The Google Play Store will always ask for your age to download applications
I picked option #4, https://t.co/VJ2Ur6dyI8. It was a one-click automatic verification. pic.twitter.com/kqt9TNKXNS
On X, Artem Russakovskii shared screenshots showing the verification interface currently being rolled out. Android Authority also confirms that this verification system will soon debut on the Play Store. Therefore, it will be impossible to download the concerned applications if you refuse to comply with this requirement.
Google will offer four methods for proving your age:
Upload your ID
Take a selfie
Use your credit card
Go through a third-party age verification service
Deployment will occur progressively based on regions. Additionally, it’s important to note that some methods may not be available everywhere. For instance, Verifymy.io is not accessible in all countries, prompting Google to adapt its methods based on local availability. This presents a challenge for the Mountain View company before the rollout of this age verification system.
Google is thus joining the movement initiated by several governments through radical laws aimed at protecting minors online. However, it’s worth mentioning that the true benefits of such measures have yet to be confirmed. We know that young users can be quite resourceful in circumventing these restrictions. For example, in France, pornographic websites can only be accessed with identity verification, but a simple VPN is often enough to bypass this barrier. By simply positioning oneself outside of Europe, minors can gain access to adult content that they consume in large quantities.
Moreover, imposing age verification on the Play Store could hurt the company’s business significantly. After all, many users might seek out third-party stores where malware can sometimes be present. Thus, security risks are certainly present, regardless of what proponents of age verification might argue.
Alden has a knack for breaking down complex software and cloud topics into accessible guides. With a background in IT consulting, he writes to help readers make sense of the tools that power the web.
