Age verification is coming for the internet — and it’s already raising red flags

Culture & TrendsAge verification is coming for the internet — and it’s already raising red flagsLegislative efforts to age-gate parts of the internet are gaining traction. Some experts warn of compliance complications and data security breaches.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00A teenager holds a mobile phone in Sydney in December.Hollie Adams / ReutersShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 15, 2026, 6:10 PM EDTBy Angela YangWhat began as an effort to bolster kids’ safety online has morphed in recent months into a broader debate over privacy and anonymity on the internet.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Mandatory age verification, which requires websites and apps to confirm or estimate users’ ages before they grant access to certain content, has continued to gain traction nationwide, as more states pass laws mandating some form of it. Supporters argue the rules are necessary to protect children from harmful content, including pornography. Critics counter that age verification could backfire — and undermine privacy and free expression online.“Every single time an age authentication mandate goes into effect, the internet shrinks some,” said Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law who focuses on internet law, adding that as mandates are implemented across the board, they could determine whether people have "conversations online that we find socially valuable."In the U.S., the bipartisan Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, introduced in March, would require platforms to deploy age verification measures to identify minors in some cases. The Federal Trade Commission also recently declared its support for social media companies to collect limited personal information for age verification to protect kids.“Age verification technologies are some of the most child-protective technologies to emerge in decades,” Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Con...