UK to require ID or face scan before you can make social media accounts

Starting spring 2027, UK platforms must verify all new account holders are 16 or older via government ID upload or facial age estimation scan, effectively ending anonymous signups. Covered services include Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, and X, while WhatsApp and Signal are exempt. Security researchers note the biometric and ID data collection creates breach risk and the checks are trivially circumvented.