- Twitch is now asking UK users to complete a facial age verification scan
- The platform already has a minimum age (13+) to create an account
- The verification is an additional requirement to view “harmful to minors” content
Twitch has just started rolling out mandatory age verification for users in the UK. This marks one of the platform’s biggest compliance changes to date.
Viewers trying to view adult or 18+ content that includes categories such as sexual themes and drunkenness must complete a face scan. They will only be able to continue viewing once they are verified to be 18 or over.
Twitch already has a minimum age requirement to join the platform. Users under 13 cannot have an account. This new policy raises an additional layer of privacy concerns for users under the age of 18.
The new policy is being introduced as a way to comply with the UK Online Safety Act, which requires a wide range of websites to operate mandatory age verification checks to allow access to content deemed “harmful” to minors.
Similar enforcements have previously sparked a surge in downloads for some of the top VPN services, with many privacy-conscious users turning to these tools to avoid sharing their sensitive data.
Age verification on Twitch – what’s changing for UK users
Users in the UK are now required to complete a facial scan to view certain content on Twitch. The Amazon-owned platform partners with a third-party vendor, k-ID, to comply with UK security regulations.
You will be asked to confirm your age, regardless of whether you are a new or existing user. The question appears when you create a new account, log in and before viewing the kind of content that requires an age check.
Completing the verification process requires camera access. Twitch’s partner k-ID scans your face to estimate your age. To pass the check, you must be in a well-lit area and remove headgear.
Popular live-streaming platform, @Twitch, plans to introduce facial scanning for age verification purposes in the UK to allow its users to view certain streams. Let’s hope they’ll be more careful than Discord not to leak anyone’s passport this time. pic.twitter.com/IdDY5F1TIp19 November 2025
What are the privacy risks?
Twitch ensures that k-ID performs the entire facial recognition process on your device and does not save your photos or videos. However, this change still introduces some privacy concerns and many users are speaking out against it on platforms like X or Reddit.
Since its implementation in July, experts have warned of the risks the UK’s age verification system poses to citizens’ privacy and security.
From facial scans to credit checks, Britons are being asked to share some of their most sensitive data with third-party services in the hope that they will look after it. Still, as the Discord hack has shown again, big leaks come from big data.
These dangers have caused a dramatic increase in demand for VPN services in the UK. In the days after the age verification requirement went into effect, ProtonVPN reported a 1,400% increase in signups due to concerns over age verification rules.
However, many Brits also turned to insecure freebies to get the job done, but actually put their data at even greater risk.
So if you’re looking for a way to protect your privacy on Twitch, I recommend only getting the best free VPNs, like Proton VPN Free. Remember that you will need to upgrade for greater ease of use. But with Black Friday just a stone’s throw away, now is the best time to do so…
