Twitter (X) is rolling out age verification requirements for users who want to access NSFW or other restricted content. In this guide, we show you how to bypass Twitter (X) age verification.
If you live in the UK or the EU, you could be asked to complete a Twitter ID upload or use the selfie age estimation feature to confirm your age. These new Twitter identification steps follow child protection laws, including the Online Safety Act in the UK and emerging regulations in the EU (France, Germany, and more).
Twitter introduced these adult identification requirements to comply with safety regulations, but they have sparked Twitter privacy concerns. Many users are uncomfortable sharing their government ID with Twitter. And experts warn that using biometrics for Twitter’s selfie age estimation could also cause privacy violations.
The good news? You can bypass Twitter’s age verification by using a VPN. Learn why Twitter is asking for age verification, how online safety laws are shaping these requirements, and how a VPN for Twitter can help you access restricted content without compromising your privacy.
Why is Twitter (X) asking for age verification?
Users in the UK and Europe have begun receiving age verification requests on Twitter. The new rules aim to bring Twitter into line with online safety regulations, such as the Online Safety Act in the UK, Ireland’s Online Safety Code, and the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
These laws aim to prevent minors from accessing adult content and pornography online, but they raise privacy concerns for regular users, many of whom feel uncomfortable providing official IDs or biometrics to access Twitter’s NSFW content.
The good news is that you can avoid unnecessary data sharing and prevent unwanted privacy violations by using a VPN. Using a VPN for Twitter, you can change your location to a country where Twitter’s age verification options don’t require an ID.
This will let you bypass age confirmation on Twitter without supplying an official ID or a video to get past Twitter’s AI age estimation feature.
How does Twitter (X) verify a user’s age?
If you try to access NSFW content on Twitter, you will receive an age verification prompt. The prompt will inform you that Twitter cannot determine your age from existing account data. For this reason, you must provide valid age verification using an ID or selfie (for an AI age check).
Before asking you for identification, Twitter should attempt to verify your age via existing account information. Methods used to check the user’s age before requesting an ID include:
- A confirmed birthdate showing you’re 18+ in your account settings can help. However, it’s not foolproof, as minors can falsify their date of birth. For this reason, this may be paired with other verification checks.
- An ID already uploaded to X (for example, during sign‑up for X Premium) can confirm your age and may allow you to bypass additional verification requests.
- Older accounts (created before 2012) may be assumed to belong to adults by now. This makes older accounts less likely to trigger age verification prompts.
- Verified business or government accounts (gold or gray checkmarks) usually won’t be asked for extra proof of age.
How to bypass Twitter (X) age verification
Twitter uses regional tracking to determine whether age checks are legally required. If you appear to be in a country that doesn’t require age checks, you should be able to continue using Twitter without any changes.
The good news is that you can bypass Twitter’s age verification in the UK (or Europe) by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is an online privacy tool that lets you hide your real location (IP address) from the websites you visit.
Users can connect to a VPN server in the US, Canada, or any other country where Twitter age verification isn’t required and continue accessing NSFW content without providing a government ID or selfie.
Please bear in mind that some users on Reddit have needed to change their IP address location and their Twitter country within Twitter settings. We have included steps for both of these processes below.
How to change your Twitter (X) location with a VPN
Here’s how to change your Twitter location with a VPN to bypass age verification;
- Choose a VPN that works with Twitter. We recommend NordVPN because it is fast, reliable, and highly secure. Alternatively, you can use Surfshark or Total VPN.
- Subscribe to the VPN. You can follow any of the links above to get the VPN at the lowest possible cost. We have agreed on an exclusive deal for our readers.
- Download the VPN software. Our recommendations have apps for Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Fire TV Stick, tvOS (Apple TV), and other popular platforms. This ensures that you can change your IP address to avoid Twitter age verification on any device.
- Install the VPN software. Depending on your location, you may need to use a VPN every time you use Twitter. We recommend that you install the VPN on any tablets, smartphones, or computers you use to access your Twitter account.
- Connect to a VPN server in a country where no Twitter age verification is needed. This will allow you to use Twitter without NSFW restrictions.
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How to change your Twitter (X) country in settings
Some users have found that using a VPN alone isn’t enough to bypass X age verification. To guarantee that using a VPN works, we strongly recommend that you also update your account’s country to the US or another country where strict age verification laws don’t apply.
Here are the steps needed to change your Twitter country settings:
- Log into X (Twitter): Open the app on your phone or sign in via a browser.
- Go to your profile menu. On mobile: Tap your profile picture in the top‑left corner. On desktop: Click More in the left‑hand menu.
- Select Settings and privacy from the dropdown menu.
- Click Your account followed by Account information.
- You may be prompted to enter your password for security.
- Choose a new country. Pick a country where age verification isn’t mandatory.
- Save your changes.
- Restart Twitter (X). Log out and back in (or restart the app) so that the update takes effect.
Remember that you need to change your country settings and your IP address using a VPN. Following that, you will need to keep using a VPN to get an IP address in the country you selected. This will ensure that Twitter always detects the location stated in your account settings.
What is the UK’s Online Safety Act?
The UK Online Safety Act came into effect on July 25, 2025. The law, which Ofcom enforces, is designed to make the UK “the safest place in the world to be online.”
The primary reason for the new regulation is to enforce child safety online. The new rules aim to protect young users from harmful content such as pornography, violent or abusive material, online bullying, dangerous challenges or stunts, and hate speech.
The law also seeks to decrease exposure to content that is linked to suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders. The Online Safety Act seeks to achieve this by holding platforms legally responsible for preventing minors from accessing dangerous material.
UK Age Verification
The Online Safety Act enforces age checks much more strictly than before. From July, ticking a box to confirm your age isn’t enough anymore. Platforms now have to use stronger methods like facial age estimation, email or bank/mobile verification, or an official ID check.
The UK’s Online Safety Act represents a significant shift in how the internet behaves for British citizens. Similar laws are being considered in Europe and other countries around the world. These regulations aim to improve child safety and online security while holding tech companies accountable for the content that appears on their platforms.
The Act also reinforces the importance of Parental Control features like those found in leading online security bundles like Ultra AV or Aura.
Related: A guide to the UK porn ban
Does the Digital Services Act require age verification?
The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) doesn’t directly force platforms like Twitter to check everyone’s age. Article 35 just says big platforms must take “reasonable” steps to reduce risks for minors. That can include age checks, but the details are left open to interpretation, with the risk of fines if a provider is found not to have done enough.
Why are EU Twitter (X) subscribers being asked for ID?
As part of its effort to protect UK Twitter users in line with the new Online Safety Act, Twitter (X) has decided to enforce age verification throughout the EU. Although it isn’t a legal requirement in the EU, Twitter is applying these checks early to show it’s serious about child safety.
It is also worth noting that individual countries within the EU are seeking to pass, or have already passed, laws that require stringent age verification.
In France, for example, the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (ARCOM) came into effect in January of 2025. It requires robust age verification, such as selfie biometric checks or document verification.
Unfortunately, this means EU citizens are increasingly finding themselves caught up in the dragnet. EU users may see ID or selfie prompts not due to a direct legal DSA mandate, but because platforms are facing pressure on child safety, and aligning with stricter national rules or platform-wide global policies.
Do Twitter (X) users in Ireland need to verify their age?
Yes. Since July 21, 2025, Ireland’s national Online Safety Code has come into effect.
The new rules mean video‑sharing platforms now have to check users’ ages to keep minors away from harmful or adult material. In Ireland, that means you’ll need to verify your age before you can open NSFW content.
The good news? Anybody in Ireland can use one of our recommended VPNs to change their IP address to a country where Twitter is open without verification.
Can I bypass Twitter’s (X) age verification using a free VPN?
Yes. As long as you stick to a reputable VPN that has servers in a country where no age verification is required, you should be able to bypass Twitter’s age verification for free. However, please bear in mind that Twitter will be under pressure to begin blocking proxy services that allow users to bypass security checks. This means that free VPNs may only work for a limited amount of time.
The important thing to remember is that free VPNs have very few servers, and these are often highly congested and slow. As a result, you may find that using a free VPN causes Twitter videos to load very slowly. For the best results and access to fast servers that bypass blocks like those on Twitter, choose one of the premium VPNs we recommend in this guide.
Remember: Studies have revealed that free VPNs often lack encryption, have dangerous privacy policies, and even hide spyware in their apps. This makes using most of the free VPNs you find on Google Play very dangerous. If you intend to use a free VPN, it is essential that you stick to the basic free plan provided by a reputable VPN such as ProtonVPN.
How do you turn on access to sensitive content on Twitter (X)?
Can’t view sensitive content due to NSFW banners and blocks? You may need to enable sensitive content in your account settings. You can do this by following the steps below:
- Open the Twitter mobile app or sign in through a browser.
- Open your profile menu. On mobile: Tap your profile picture in the top-left corner. On desktop: Click More from the left-hand menu.
- Select Settings and privacy from the menu.
- Tap or click Privacy and safety from the options list.
- Select Content you see to manage what appears in your feed.
- Enable Display media that may contain sensitive content. Toggle this setting on to allow sensitive media to appear in your feed.
- Review your Search settings. In Search settings, turn off Hide sensitive content if you want sensitive tweets to appear in search results as well.
Want to know more about improving your Twitter privacy settings? Follow the link to secure your Twitter account!
Twitter age verification FAQs
What is X’s minimum age requirement?
All Twitter (X) users must be at least 13 years old. Anybody under the age of 13 should not use Twitter, and could have their account suspended.
Why does X verify ages?
Age checks help enforce local regulations to keep X compliant with child protection laws such as COPPA in the US, Online Safety Code in Ireland, Online Safety Act UK, and the Digital Services Act in the EU.
Will bypassing Twitter’s age check get my account banned?
No. As long as you are an adult, it is extremely unlikely that you will lose access to your account simply for using a VPN to bypass Twitter’s age verification. It’s extremely Twitter’s age enforcement is focused on compliance, not punishing adults, and anybody who fails the age verification should only be blocked from NSFW content.
Does using a VPN harm children by avoiding age verification?
No. As long as you keep your VPN account secure and don’t share access with children, you’re only giving yourself access to adult content without providing an ID. Children remain protected by the new regulations and cannot access adult websites or NSFW Twitter content. The idea that using a VPN undermines child protection is false. That said, parents and guardians should still consider whether tech‑savvy teens might use their own VPN to bypass age verification. Some free VPNs are available that could allow children to bypass age checks, especially older teens who are more likely to know how to find and use them.
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