Australians must now prove their age to buy R18+ games on the Xbox store

Australians will now be required to prove their age when purchasing R18+ games from the Xbox store, starting August 2026, according to Microsoft. This change is in line with Australia's regulations. To verify their age, users can choose between email-based verification, a facial age estimation check using a secure selfie, a credit card, or a government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. The age verification process is conducted by VerifyMy, a London-based tech company.

Age verification technology has recently come under scrutiny, with concerns raised about security and privacy. For instance, security researchers in February claimed that Persona, a widely used verification provider, has lax information security practices. Furthermore, Persona, utilized by platforms like Roblox, Twitch, and VRChat, was involved in a major 2025 Discord data breach, resulting in the compromise of 70,000 government photo IDs.

In addition to these security concerns, there are growing fears that age verification technology, marketed as a way to protect children from adult content, may be used for more intrusive surveillance. Countries like Australia and the UK, as well as 25 US states, are set to implement new age verification requirements by early 2026. However, not all companies are moving swiftly to comply. For example, Steam has not implemented more rigorous age verification in Australia, nor has PlayStation.