Age Verification (Or: “Digital ID”)

Call it what you want: age verification, identity checks, or digital ID.

At the end of the day, it’s still an invasion of privacy—and it’s not even remotely close to actually protecting kids.

UPDATE: As of early 2026, over a dozen states—including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia—have enacted legislation. And recently, Florida passed a law (HB 3) in March 2024, set to take effect in January 2025. A federal judge has an injunction on it in June 2025.

Hey don’t like reading? Listen instead:

I asked Grok about the problems with it, and one of the answers stood out:

Loss of anonymity and surveillance potential:

The internet has long relied on pseudonymity or anonymity for safety—domestic abuse survivors hiding from trackers, journalists protecting sources, activists in repressive regimes, LGBTQ+ people exploring identity, or simply people discussing sensitive topics.

Mandating ID-linked checks erodes this, potentially enabling government or corporate tracking, censorship, or chilling effects on free speech. Critics argue it builds infrastructure for broader surveillance under the guise of “child safety.”

That explanation is pretty clear.

But something else often gets overlooked: both adults and kids pretend to be someone else online all the time.

Example: Roblox

Take Roblox. It’s a kids’ online game—but also allegedly a lot more than that.

It’s repeatedly been accused of becoming a hunting ground for child predators: adults pretending to be kids, building relationships, and trying to lure children into meeting offline.

Yet a company making billions isn’t exactly rushing to overhaul its platform under the banner of “protecting kids.” It’s a corporation not a parent.

Frankly, the first responsibility lies with parents.

Goodness gracious, parents—do you know:

• where your kids are online?
• what games they’re playing?
• what they’re watching?
• who they’re talking to?

Technology cannot replace active parenting.

The Real Issue: Loss of Anonymity

Epstein be damned—we’ve got a bigger problem forming here anyway.

Let’s talk about the future that’s quietly approaching.

Imagine this scenario:

Yesterday, you could open your device and freely use your favorite apps.

Today, you wake up and suddenly you must prove who you are before you can access them.

That future may be closer than people think.

Political Promises vs Reality

In 2025, Representative Anna Paulina Luna said she would fight digital ID requirements. I hope she meant it.

Ironically, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in a case involving expanded age-verification requirements for pornography websites. The court essentially said the broader proposal was “expanding age verification broadly is unattainable.”

But lawmakers keep trying.

Meanwhile, legislation continues to pop up in multiple states.

Representative John James has been pushing measures that critics argue misrepresent the real purpose of these laws. If you watch the video below, it explains how proponents frame these policies versus what critics believe they actually do.

Here’s a video that breaks down the argument:

How the Laws Work

Several states are currently considering expanded age-verification laws, with California expected to implement one starting in 2027.

The structure of these laws puts the burden on app developers.

Developers must integrate age-verification systems into their apps—or face fines.

I don’t think that any of the laws are clear. But could be any of the following things:

For example:

• Every time an app is used without verifying age
• Every time an unverified user accesses it
• Every time an app is downloaded without proper checks

Imagine fines of thousands of dollars per instance.

Now think about how often people open apps like Instagram every day.

The potential financial exposure could be enormous—enough to bankrupt smaller developers.

Where Age Verification Moves Next

This isn’t just about apps like Facebook, TikTok, or ESPN.

The next step is operating systems themselves.

Android

Google has already started laying groundwork for stronger identity systems tied to apps.

“Age verification” increasingly functions as a polite rebranding of digital ID.

In practice, that means your Android phone could eventually require identity verification before certain apps—or even internet access—are allowed.

Apple (iOS)

Apple devices won’t be excluded.

If regulations expand to operating systems, companies like Apple and Microsoft would have to comply as well.

That means identity verification could eventually be required to fully use the device itself.

Not just the apps.

The device.

This Isn’t Entirely New

Depending on where you browse, you may have already encountered this system.

Several U.S. states already require identity verification to access pornography websites.

Visit one from those states and you’ll often be asked to:

• upload an ID
• scan your face
• or verify through a third-party identity service

That system has been spreading quietly for over a year.

Now imagine that same system applied to the entire internet—and enforced at the operating-system level.

Your device could block access until it verifies that your identity meets the age requirement set by your state.

Let that sink in.

The Bigger Concern

People were worked up about voter ID.

But a digital ID required for everyday internet access?

That would affect nearly every person online.

And unlike voting, it could apply multiple times per day, across countless apps and services.

Innovation and Control

Small developers won’t have the resources to fight these regulations.

If they fail to comply, their apps could be removed from:

• Apple’s App Store
• Google Play

Innovation would slow dramatically.

Only large companies with legal teams and compliance departments would be able to survive.

In other words, the internet becomes increasingly controlled by the same handful of corporations.

Ownership vs Access

Think about buying a new iPhone.

You paid for it. You own it.

But imagine turning it on for the first time and being unable to use it until you verify your identity.

Or imagine an update rolling out that suddenly requires verification on devices people already own.

The concept of device ownership starts to blur.

Instead of owning a device, you’re essentially renting permission to use it.

Where This Leads

Maybe I sound dramatic.

Maybe I sound paranoid.

I’m fine with that.

But this trend is real, and it has real consequences for privacy, anonymity, and the future of the open internet.

No developer wants to fight this battle.

Most will simply comply.

So What Happens Next?

Maybe people start looking for workarounds:

• secondary devices
• privacy-focused networks
• decentralized apps
• VPNs (these are going to be made illegal, just wait)

But even those may eventually face pressure.

Your smart TV, your streaming box, your phone, your laptop—every device connected to the internet could eventually be pulled into the same identity system.

That Apple TV you bought and paid for?

It might one day require identity verification just to access the apps you already pay for.

And if that happens?

I guess I’ll be dusting off the Blu-ray player again.

Final Thoughts

Call it age verification.

Call it digital ID.

Call it whatever sounds the least scary.

But the reality is the same: it creates infrastructure capable of tracking identity across the internet.

And once that infrastructure exists, it rarely shrinks.

Thanks for reading this far.