‘Draconian’ Apple security check to lock out iPhone owners

As highlighted by Big Brother Watch, iPhone users will soon need to prove their age to maintain internet access. It’s the latest in a line of changes which have come in the wake of the Online Safety Act:

🚨NEWS: UK iPhone users must now prove their age or lose full internet access

"It is absolutely outrageous that, overnight, Apple has put a chokehold on Britons' freedom to search the internet, access information and use apps unless they provide sensitive ID documents.

This… pic.twitter.com/GNuCsihcDD

— Big Brother Watch (@BigBrotherWatch) March 25, 2026

iPhone changes: “draconian”

Silkie Carlo (Big Brother Watch Director) said in full:

It is absolutely outrageous that, overnight, Apple has put a chokehold on Britons’ freedom to search the internet, access information and use apps unless they provide sensitive ID documents.

This means 35 million Brits who have paid hundreds or even thousands of pounds for Apple tech suddenly now have a child’s device unless they comply with invasive demands for personal information that go far beyond what UK law requires.

Apple has crossed the Rubicon with this software update which is more like ransomware, holding customers hostage to ID demands that are invasive, exclusionary and unnecessary.

Children’s online safety is vital but requires better parental controls and thoughtful tech responsibility – not sweeping, draconian, shock demands by foreign companies for all of our IDs and credit cards.

Owners will have to verify their age after accepting the iOS 26.6 software update, according to the BBC. Anyone who refuses to verify their age will be treated like a child on a tablet with parental controls. Ofcom have described this as a “real win for children and families”, even though the move goes beyond what is legally required.

People have responded as follows:

Age verification is a Trojan horse for total control over the internet, your devices, and your entire digital life.

Not a single child will be protected by this.

If people don't wake up and protest, your country is going to be next. https://t.co/BiH4F0cs7j

— calle (@callebtc) March 25, 2026

Apple just turned 35 million UK iPhones into identity checkpoints. Apple has, without warning, placed a gatekeeper on the devices of 35 million UK users who paid good money for full-featured smartphones and now find themselves holding something closer to a supervised children’s… https://t.co/5qTTHn18uQ

— Reclaim The Net (@ReclaimTheNetHQ) March 25, 2026

It looks like Reddit may be the next platform to introduce mandatory age checks:

‼️ BREAKING: Reddit's CEO announced he is forcing human verification on the platform.

He will force users to verify through biometrics on their device, a third party, or government ID.

Every single option compromises your anonymity. On a platform built on anonymity. pic.twitter.com/HlpTWU95g7

— International Cyber Digest (@IntCyberDigest) March 26, 2026

Experiments

The BBC also reported:

Apple’s move follows a wider debate in the industry over how to keep young people away from harmful content online and the impact social media can have on children.

The UK government is trialling a test which will see 300 teens have their social apps disabled entirely, blocked overnight or capped to one hour’s use – with some also seeing no such changes at all – in order to compare their experiences.

The test will run alongside the government’s consultation asking whether the UK should follow in Australia’s footsteps by making it illegal for under-16s to have access to many social media sites.

As we’ve covered, there are reasons to be concerned about the impacts of social media. At the same time, establishment forces are using these concerns to push for an end to online anonymity. The solution to all of these issues begins with wrestling control of the internet back from the US tech monopolies who control 99% of our digital lives.

Featured image via Apple