How to get around age verification requirements on websites and apps

With age verification laws introduced in multiple countries and US states, you may be wondering what they entail and what impact they have on privacy. Let's start with the basics – age verification laws are being instituted around the world to protect minors from harmful content like pornography. On top of that, jurisdictions like Australia are also using the same principles to ban children under 16 from social media sites.

While these laws are claimed to protect children, civil rights groups from around the world, like the ACLU, have noted that they pose a danger to privacy and civil liberties. This is because age verification often requires you to give your ID or biometric data to websites, enabling third parties to track your activities.

Luckily, there are ways to avoid these regulations. In this article, I explain how you can use a VPN to get around age verification requirements on websites and apps.

Bypassing age verification laws with a VPN is simple. Here are the steps you need to take to bypass age verification:

How to bypass age verification with a VPN in 2026

1. Subscribe to a VPN that has servers outside your jurisdiction – I recommend NordVPN, now 76% OFF
2. Download and install the VPN
3. Open the VPN app and connect to a server outside your jurisdiction where there are no age verification laws
4. Browse the web – you shouldn't have to verify your age

What are age verification laws?

Age verification laws have been introduced in multiple countries. While every country has specific requirements, they can be summarized simply. Age verification laws require websites that host specific content (usually adult content or social media) to verify users' ages using some form of ID. To illustrate how this is being enacted, I looked at several jurisdictions that have recently enacted age verification laws:

• Australia enacted age verification laws in December 2025 for social media and in March 2026 for adult content, requiring users to verify their accounts via facial recognition, eID, ID scans, or credit card checks. This resulted in multiple adult content websites, including Pornhub, blocking access in Australia.
• France has been requiring adult sites to verify their users since June 2025. It is also currently implementing new laws to restrict minors under 15 from accessing social media, planned to be enacted in September 2026.
• The United Kingdom enacted laws requiring adult content and social media sites to verify users' ages. This has led to several sites ceasing operation in the UK, including Pornhub and Imgur.
• In the United States, 25 states have enacted age verification laws, including Texas, Florida, and Arizona. These laws have led adult content providers like Pornhub to block users from accessing their content. So far, 8 states also require age verification for social media websites.

Here's a breakdown of the countries currently instituting age verification to access adult content or social media:

Country	Adult content	Social media
Australia	❌ Age verification required	❌ Age verification required for under 16
France	❌ Age verification required	❌ Age verification required for under 15 (law due to come into force in September 2026)
Germany	❌ Age verification required	✅ No verification
Italy	❌ Age verification required	✅ No verification
Spain	❌ Age verification required	✅ No verification
United Kingdom	❌ Age verification required	❌ Age verification required (13 or 18 years old depending on content)
United States	❌ Age verification required in some states	❌ Age verification required in some states

Steps have also been taken to institute EU-wide age verification policies, with the EU adding age verification to its strategy for the coming years. This may result in more websites requiring a digital wallet to access them.

How does the age verification process work?

Age verification can be implemented through several methods. These usually include taking a video, scanning your ID, using your credit card, or verifying through a third-party service. Jurisdictions that offer eIDs also often use those to verify age.

Of course, this raises concerns about what kind of data is being collected. This will depend on the jurisdiction, but your ID or biometric data is nearly certain to pass through multiple servers. While providers claim that they do not store data, most haven't been independently audited.

Concerns over privacy and security of age verification services

The information gathered by verification services has raised concerns from multiple privacy advocates and human rights organizations. These concerns have also proven to be accurate in some cases, as in February 2026, Sumsub disclosed a security incident. Similarly, Persona has recently been scrutinized for its security practices.

These breaches show that while age verification may help protect children from harmful content, it also creates multiple privacy and security risks. The most notable one is, of course, surveillance. With ID requirements, your internet activity can be linked to your person, making it impossible to maintain privacy on the internet.

Additionally, these restrictions may not even stop children from accessing adult content or social media. In fact, it may instead push minors into gray areas and make their access harder to detect.

How to bypass age verification with a VPN – detailed guide

To help you avoid privacy-invading age verification laws, I created a step-by-step guide to bypassing them.

Step 1. Select a reliable VPN service

Your first move is to get your hands on a dependable VPN. I recommend NordVPN for the best overall experience, though Surfshark is a great backup if you're looking for a cheaper option. Since the majority of VPNs provide money-back guarantees and free trials, you can try them out for viewing adult content without putting your wallet on the line.

Step 2. Download and configure the VPN

After choosing a provider, install the VPN software on whatever device you plan to use. Doing this gives you optimal security while letting you tweak the connection settings exactly how you want them. Keep in mind that you will need to sign in to your account to access all the features.

Step 3. Link up to a server in a restriction-free location

With your app ready to go, your next step is to connect to a server in a region that doesn't mandate ID checks for online platforms. Any location will work perfectly, provided the specific state or country hasn't passed its own age-verification laws for the content you want to access, including social media platforms that may restrict or ban them. For lightning-fast connection speeds, choose a server that is as close to you as possible and offers unrestricted access.

Step 4. Clear your browser cookies and cache

Before you load up the website, I highly recommend wiping your browser's cookies and cache. Platforms often store your previous location data, device identifiers, or past age-verification prompts in your browser history. Clearing this data ensures the site sees you as a brand-new visitor connecting from your newly selected, restriction-free VPN location. Alternatively, if you're browsing for a one-time task, you can use incognito mode instead.

Step 5. Access your preferred website or app

Your last step is simply navigating to your chosen site or social media app to access its content without having to hand over your personal info for an ID check. If the platform still prompts you for age verification or blocks your access right off the bat, just switch your VPN to a different server location and try again.

Final thoughts

Age verification is spreading around the world, raising privacy and security concerns along the way, with more governments going the way of increasing the barriers on using the internet. While said to protect children, it may actually do more harm than good, violating privacy and leading to account leaks.

Luckily, using a reliable VPN will allow you to bypass these restrictions and retain your privacy while accessing the internet. I recommend using NordVPN, as it offers excellent speeds, along with audited privacy features that will ensure your data won't fall into the wrong hands.