VRChat has just rolled out a new feature allowing adult users with paid subscriptions to verify their age. This is a big step to ensure a safer environment by gating certain content for age-verified individuals.
This move follows an announcement made last November, where VRChat revealed its collaboration with Persona, a company that helps verify ages using government IDs in conjunction with a camera on your phone or computer. However, it’s worth noting that this age verification isn’t mandatory for using VRChat. It specifically restricts access to content tagged with the ‘Age Verification’ setting.
Now, this age verification system is active for VRC+ subscribers, accompanied by a detailed Q&A to shed light on its application:
The verification process leverages Persona to check your government-issued ID and match it with your likeness. VRChat doesn’t store any images or face scans. Instead, it processes and stores text extracted from your ID, used only to create a hash that is irreversible.
Once the verification is complete, all text except for your birth date is erased and never kept on VRChat servers.
An announcement video originally shared this update with users, and you can find the video below this paragraph.
In that announcement, Senior Community Manager Strasz mentioned a partnership with a few event organizers to pilot age-verified events. During this pilot phase, only members of selected groups will be able to apply for age verification and restrict event access to those who have verified their age. This small-scale trial was designed to iron out any wrinkles initially.
Creators who host these Group Instances can opt to limit access solely to verified users. For example, an event like a bar might choose to permit only 18+ attendees, requiring participants to complete the age verification process. Once verified, users can join any future age-restricted content.
Additionally, an optional “Verified 18+” badge can be added to the profiles of users who complete the age check.
VRChat shared, “We believe that introducing age verification as an option enables our communities and users to customize their interactions better, fostering a more robust and safer platform.”
This article first appeared on November 29, 2024, when age verification was initially announced and tested. It has been updated and republished following its release to VRChat+ subscribers two months later.
