Age verification laws are exploding across the U.S. — and they’re coming straight for your privacy.It started with platforms, but it’s quickly becoming something much bigger. On February 25, 2026, the FTC issued a COPPA policy statement that green-lights aggressive age verification technology — selfies, government IDs, and facial scans — while relaxing rules so companies can collect this data without prior parental consent in many cases.Even COPPA does nothing to stop this. COPPA was supposed to protect children’s privacy, but these new rules completely bypass its original intent. These types of age verification systems first gained serious traction in the UK and Australia, and are now being pushed in Brazil as well. Brazil is forcing “reliable and auditable” age checks that don’t even work properly. The Digital ECA has been a disaster — after mistakenly rating almost every game as 18+, it now forces age verification just to access them.These rules are forcing everyone — adults and kids alike — to scan their faces or upload IDs just to browse websites, comment, scroll social media, or talk in games. It’s already happening on platforms kids actually use.Real-World Examples:
Roblox recently paid over $35 million in settlements with Nevada, Alabama, and West Virginia after states pushed for mandatory age verification for chat. Discord now restricts features until you verify your age. Fortnite requires users to be 13+. PlayStation and Minecraft in the UK and Ireland have already started forcing facial scans or ID checks for voice chat and multiplayer.Popular Roblox YouTuber KreekCraft has publicly stated he does not like how AI age verification systems flag him as a minor or under 13 — a mistake that almost deleted his TikTok account.But the threat is growing far beyond individual apps and games.State Governments Want Age Verification at the Device Level
Some state governments want age verification on computers at the operating system / device level. This would mean built-in age checks on the actual device itself — not just inside apps or websites. Age verification would be baked directly into the operating system of computers, phones, and tablets, monitoring and restricting what users can do at the system level. Once this happens, every app, browser, game, and website you use would be forced through government-approved age gates controlled at the device level.Industry Involvement and Backlash
Tech industry groups like NetChoice are actively fighting these laws across the USA. They argue that forced biometric age verification violates the 1st Amendment (free speech) and 4th Amendment (protection against unreasonable searches and seizures / privacy rights). At the same time, Meta has been pushing for age verification laws and is getting much of the blame for helping start the push toward widespread age checks. Because of this, Meta has been losing users on Instagram and Facebook as people get angry over the company’s lobbying for these laws.This is no longer just about “protecting kids” on one platform. It’s becoming a full system-wide push for biometric surveillance.The Scope of the Threat Federal level: The App Store Accountability Act would force every app store to verify every user’s age. 
State level: Maryland’s HB1179 and similar bills in other states require age verification using “commercially available methods.” 
New York’s proposed Stop Online Predators Act would add even stricter rules. 
And now, the dangerous next step: age checks moving to the operating system level of your actual devices.
What started as “protect the children” is turning into mandatory biometric surveillance just to use the internet.Biometric age verification is easily bypassed by deepfakes and VPNs, dangerously invasive, discriminatory against darker skin tones and people with disabilities, and creates massive hackable databases of faces and personal data. On March 2, 2026, 371 scientists and researchers from 29 countries signed an open letter demanding an immediate moratorium, warning these technologies will cause far more harm than good.The UK’s Online Safety Act already shows where this road leads. In October 2025, thousands of people took to the streets of London on the 18th to protest against the UK government’s digital ID plans. People are rising up because they see these systems as a direct threat to privacy and freedom.We cannot let the U.S. and Maryland follow the same disastrous path.Sign this petition to say NO to biometric age verification laws. Your privacy should not require a selfie or ID — and your devices should not have age checks built into the operating system itself.