PlayStation consoles will need age verification to use voice chat from this year

Big changes are coming to how you use your PlayStation console, with Sony being forced to demand age verification to use certain online features.

Until recently, all age verification meant was entering your date of birth into a website and wondering why they bother asking, when you could just make it up. It seems politicians have been wondering the same thing and now an increasing number of websites and online services require official confirmation of your age.

It won’t just be ‘adult sites’ that will become more difficult to access but also consoles, with Sony sending out emails starting this week, warning PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners that they’ll have to provide concrete proof of their age if they’re to continue to chat and communicate online.

Roblox and Discord have already instituted similar checks, and it seems Sony’s system in the UK will use Yoti, a British company that relies on both AI-based facial age estimation and digital identity checks. So by the end of the year, you’ll either have to sign up or stop using the console’s chat features.

‘At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we are committed to creating safe, age-appropriate experiences for players and families while respecting privacy and giving players and parents meaningful control over their gaming experience,’ reads the short email message, as posted on ResetEra.

‘As part of our compliance with global regulations, you’ll need to verify your age later this year to continue using PlayStation communication features, such as messages and voice chat. You will still be able to access other PlayStation services, like games, trophies, and the Store, if you do not verify your age.

‘This is a one-time check and usually takes just a few minutes. Completing it ahead of time will help you continue accessing communication features when you want to use them.’

The email includes a link to verify your age straight away but there’s no indication of when exactly it will become mandatory.

As you can see, it’s not just a UK thing, and it’s highly likely that Nintendo and Microsoft will be doing something similar by the end of the year, to comply with the same regulations.

There’s no suggestion of having to prove your age in order to play games with particular age ratings, not least because there is no worldwide standing for ratings – although most of Europe, including the UK, uses the PEGI system.

Since Discord is the main alternative to using a console’s native voice chat system, and that already has its own age verification requirements, there’s no obvious way around the problem without using more obscure software.

It’s the protection of children that Sony is citing as its priority and it’s certainly true that public voice chat can be a cesspool, especially with some of the more popular online titles, like Call Of Duty and GTA Online.

Although many online games are rated 16 or 18, so kids shouldn’t be playing them anyway, the likes of Fortnite and Overwatch only have a 12 age rating and yet both are free-to-play, which is why their audience is so big.

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