Sony is asking PS5 users in some countries to verify their age or risk losing certain console features “later this year,” sparking intense backlash. Although the company cites compliance with “global regulations,” we can confirm that the messages are currently being sent only to players in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, this could expand to other countries.
No PS5 communication features for players who don’t verify age
There’s been a push towards age verification and social media bans as part of global efforts to safeguard minors. However, critics say that these measures are needlessly intrusive, calling them government overreach.
In its notice, Sony says that those who don’t verify their age will not be able to use PSN communication features, including messages and voice chat. Included in the message is a link to begin the age verification process, which is described as a “one-time check” that “takes a few minutes.”
However, it took me well over 20 minutes to verify my age despite having created my account at least 18 years ago. I encountered various errors at every step, and counted at least 10 attempts to get the system to work. I did get through in the end, but it felt like an exercise in frustration.
What’s interesting here is Sony’s choice of partner for photo-based biometric verification. Although we’re told that our photos are instantly removed after the checks are complete, Sony teamed up with a company called Yoti, which was recently fined $1.1 million in Spain for data handling violations.
Naturally, players are upset, if this Reddit thread is any indication.
We’ll update our readers if the age verification requirement is rolled out to more regions.
