London, April 21, 2026, 17:41 BST
Sony Interactive Entertainment will require adult PlayStation accounts in the UK and Ireland to pass an age check from June 2026 to keep using messaging, voice chat, parties, broadcasting and some in-game sharing tools, a PlayStation support page showed. Players who do not verify can still play games, but communications features will be cut off until they complete the check.
The move matters now because Sony has begun notifying PS4 and PS5 users before the June switch-over, putting one of gaming’s biggest social networks into the widening age-assurance regime. Age assurance means a platform checks whether a user is old enough for certain features, usually through a phone record, face scan or official identity document.
The affected features include PlayStation messages, voice chat, text chat, parties and group sessions, Discord voice chat, broadcasting and gameplay sharing to YouTube or Twitch, Sony said. Some in-game chat, messaging and user-generated content features — player-made uploads or shared content — may also become unavailable, depending on how individual games are built.
Sony is trying to make a sharp distinction between the console and its social layer. Users who skip the check can still play games and use non-communication features, and they can still access and buy from the PlayStation Store, the company said.
The company said verification applies once per adult account registered in the UK or Ireland. The available methods are a mobile-number check, a facial scan or an ID document, with Yoti acting as Sony’s verification provider.
Sony said Yoti deletes facial geometry data after verification is complete and that PlayStation receives only the result of the check, not the facial geometry itself. ID verification can take three to six minutes after a scan, according to the PlayStation support page.
The UK backdrop is the Online Safety Act, which Ofcom says makes a wide range of online services legally responsible for keeping users, especially children, safer online. Ofcom’s child-safety codes came into force in 2025, and the regulator’s compliance timetable continues through 2026 for further duties and categorisation work.
Ireland has its own online safety framework. Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Code requires video-sharing platform providers to protect children and the public, including through content rating, age assurance and parental control systems where relevant.
Sony is not moving alone. Microsoft began prompting UK Xbox users to verify age in July 2025 and said the checks would be needed for full access to social features such as voice or text communication and game invites. Kim Kunes, Xbox’s vice president of gaming trust and safety, wrote that “there is no one-size-fits-all solution to player safety” and that methods may differ by region and service. Xbox Wire
Discord has also pushed age-assurance tools for UK users, though its model is different. The company says UK users must be confirmed adults to access age-restricted spaces or modify some safety settings, while most users will not need to pass a face or ID check.
The risk for Sony is friction, not a dead console. Players who distrust third-party identity checks, lack suitable ID, have mismatched mobile-provider records or use older adult accounts created with inaccurate details may keep their games but lose access to social tools until the account is fixed.
For under-18 users, Sony says the account should be managed by a parent or guardian. That points to the broader aim of the rollout: keeping adults on adult accounts, children on child accounts, and communications features behind a stronger proof-of-age gate.
