On Wednesday, Apple unveiled new device-level age restrictions in the UK. After downloading a new update, users will now have to confirm that they are 18 or older to access unrestricted features.
Users will be able to confirm their age with a credit card or by scanning an ID.
For those underage or who have not confirmed their age, Apple will turn on Web Content Filter and Communication Safety, which will not only restrict access to certain apps or websites, but will also monitor messages, shared photo albums, AirDrop, and FaceTime calls for nudity.
Apple didn’t specify exactly which services and features are banned for under-18 users, but it will likely be in compliance with UK legislation. Gizmodo reached out to the Cupertino giant for comment, and we’ll update this post when we receive a reply.
The British government does not require Apple and other OS providers to institute device-level age checks, but it does restrict minor access to online pornography under the Online Safety Act, which passed in 2023. So far, that restriction has only been implemented at the website level, but UK officials have been worried about easy loopholes to evade the age restrictions, like VPNs.
The broader tech industry has been campaigning for some time to use device-level age checks instead in response to the rising tide of under-16 social media and internet bans around the world.
Last month, in a landmark social media trial in California, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also supported this idea, saying that conducting age verification “at the level of the phone is just a lot clearer than having every single app out there have to do this separately.”
Pornhub-operator Aylo had advocated for device-level restrictions in the UK as well, and even sent out letters to Apple, Google, and Microsoft in November asking for OS-level age verification. At the time, British authorities had responded to Aylo, saying that OS-level restrictions would have to be industry-led, as nothing was stopping these tech companies from implementing the method and showing evidence of its effectiveness.
The most obvious question: Could this be brought stateside?
Many states have already passed legislation restricting the activity of minors on the internet. Apple began working with Texas authorities late last year on the state’s new age restrictions that have since drawn legal backlash. Last month, the company announced that new users in Utah and Louisiana will have their age categories shared with the App Store starting this summer, to ensure compliance with the new age restriction laws in the states.
The regulatory momentum is only growing in the United States, and states are increasingly seeking device-level restrictions. California passed its Digital Age Assurance Act last year, and the law would require users to enter their date of birth when setting up a new phone or computer to ensure OS-level restrictions when it goes into effect next year.
Colorado is also seeking to follow in California’s footsteps. Earlier this year, state legislators introduced a device-level age restriction bill modeled after California’s.
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