美国已有25个州实施年龄验证法，占全国一半，要求用户在访问色情或被定义为“有害”的内容前提交身份证或进行面部扫描；本周国会审议了19项相关法案，包括去年在参议院以压倒性两党支持通过的KOSA以及禁止16岁以下未成年人使用社交媒体的平台禁令。英国已通过Online Safety Act，澳大利亚的未成年人社交媒体禁令将于12月10日生效，覆盖Instagram、YouTube、Snap与TikTok。超过90个维权组织在3月联合反对在线ID核验，强调强制验证将扩大审查与监控风险，而第三方验证服务本身高度易受数据泄露影响。
活动人士强调这些法案复制了图书禁令与限制性医疗信息封锁的逻辑，威胁民主自由，并指出国会忽略全面隐私保护或反垄断立法，反而将“验证”作为核心解决方案。专家证词强调政府与平台不应成为唯一内容仲裁者。尽管听证会未推进具体立法，但外界担忧部分提案可能被附加到国防授权法案中，或被绑定特朗普政府提出的州级AI监管10年暂停令。媒体指出新版KOSA移除科技公司的责任豁免要求，使监管方向进一步偏向审查架构。
批评者警告年龄验证并非仅影响儿童，而是适用于所有人，因为必须证明“不是未成年人”。这意味着无论18岁或50岁，所有用户都将受制于统一的强制身份认证机制。活动人士在Reddit、LinkedIn与直播平台举办行动周，试图抵制他们认为将使互联网更具剥削性、而非更安全的政策趋势，并强调此类模式在国际范围迅速蔓延。
Half of US states—25 in total—now mandate age verification to access porn or other “harmful” content, requiring users to upload ID or submit facial scans; Congress this week reviewed 19 online safety bills, including KOSA, which passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support, and a proposal banning users under 16 from social media. The UK enacted its Online Safety Act this year, and Australia’s under-16 social media ban takes effect December 10, affecting Instagram, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok. Over 90 rights groups opposed online ID-check mandates in March, warning of expanded censorship and surveillance, and highlighting high breach risks from third-party verification services.
Advocates argue the bills mirror book bans and restrictions on medical information, threatening democratic freedoms, while Congress sidesteps comprehensive privacy or antitrust measures by centering verification as the primary remedy. Expert testimony emphasized that neither government nor platforms should be sole arbiters of children’s online content. Though no legislation advanced this week, concerns persist that proposals could be attached to the National Defense Authorization Act or paired with the Trump administration’s 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations. Reports indicate a revamped KOSA removes tech-company liability obligations, further shifting regulation toward censorship infrastructure.
Critics stress age verification applies universally, not only to minors, because all users must prove they are “not children.” This imposes blanket identity checks on everyone from age 18 to 50. Activists organized a week of actions across Reddit, LinkedIn, and livestreams to oppose what they view as policies that make the internet more exploitative rather than safer, warning that the model is rapidly spreading internationally.