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

The UK government will ban social media for under-16s starting spring 2027, requiring age verification through ID uploads or facial recognition scans for all new accounts. While existing accounts are largely exempt, the policy effectively ends anonymous account creation in the UK and extends age verification to adults opening new accounts. Security experts warn that the verification methods are easy to circumvent and pose significant risks of ID and biometric data breaches.