Apple asks UK users to verify age in new software update
Following the latest software update for iPhones and iPads, Apple users in the UK will now need to present a credit card or government ID to verify their age.
This new measure is designed to ensure that users are old enough to access certain services and “transact on their accounts”.
The move comes amid a growing industry-wide debate over children’s online safety.
According to an Apple support page, the tech giant will verify whether a user is 18 or older through credit card verification or by scanning their ID.
As part of the new iOS 26.4 software update, web content filters will also be automatically enabled for children, teens, and adults who have not completed the age verification process.
These checks coincide with a key vote in the House of Lords this Wednesday; where peers will reconsider proposals to block those under 16 from social media platforms deemed harmful.
A Commons-backed amendment backed by ministers could see children banned or restricted from accessing certain social media services; some bereaved parents may urge members of the Lords to “vote to raise the age”.
Additionally, hundreds of young people are preparing to attend a hearing on social media bans, time limits and curfews.
Speaking ahead of the debate, Lord Nash said: “Today, my colleagues in the Lords have the opportunity to tell our elected colleagues once again that there can be no half measures and wasted opportunities when it comes to our children and social media.
“The harm that social media does to our children is increasing day by day.
“It is now clear that the government’s consultation was a rushed job with no guaranteed outcome and, worse, a job driven by the supposedly positive benefits of social media.”
If Apple users cannot verify their age or are not an adult, their account will be asked to “connect to a family sharing group with an adult who verifies their age to perform certain actions.”
U.K. media regulator Ofcom said Apple’s age checks were “a real win for children and families,” according to the BBC.
The government’s consultation on a potential Australian-style social media ban is scheduled to conclude on May 26.
