Sony’s UK Online Safety Act push: PlayStation age verification rolls out in UK & Ireland
April 21, 2026
Reported by Tom Warren
Sony is moving to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act by requiring age verification for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. Beginning June 2026, PS4 and PS5 players who haven’t completed age verification can still play, but several features will be blocked until age is confirmed.
- Restricted features pending verification: Voice chats, messaging, party chats, and other third‑party communication services will be limited for unverified accounts starting in June.
- Broadcasts and sharing: Age verification will be required to broadcast gameplay or share clips to YouTube or Twitch from a PlayStation console.
- Verification partner and methods: Sony has teamed up with Yoti to handle verification. Users can verify using a mobile number, a face scan, or an ID document.
- Alignment with Xbox: Sony’s approach mirrors Microsoft’s age-verification rollout on Xbox, which also uses Yoti and requires users to be over 18 to access full social features like voice/text chat and game invites.
- Early verification option: Players can verify their age ahead of the deadline to avoid losing access to features.
Context
- The move is part of broader enforcement as more provisions of the Online Safety Act come into force this year, with both Sony and Microsoft implementing mandatory age checks to safeguard users in the UK.
If you’d like, I can expand this with a side-by-side comparison of the two platforms’ verification flows or add a quick FAQ for users about how to complete verification with Yoti.