Technology Steam's Age Verification in Australia Only Accepts Credit Cards, Excluding Half of Consumers

[lokamoka820]

Content source

https://www.ghacks.net/2026/09/10/steams-age-verification-in-australia-only-accepts-credit-cards-excluding-half-of-consumers/

Valve has introduced a proof-of-age verification system for users of Australian Steam, but it will only accept an active Australian credit card as evidence.

This system was mandated by new Australian laws which require online gaming services to verify that users are over 18 before allowing them to access R18+ games; the law came into force in March.

Unlike PlayStation and Xbox, which provide several methods of verification, Valve only accepts proof of credit card ownership. Debit cards and PayPal do not seem to be adequate, and having a previous, long-standing account does not relieve users of this requirement.

About half of the consumers in Australia do not possess a credit card.

 

[Halp2001]

What is interesting about this new verification system is that, under the pretext of “protecting users,” it may actually end up putting some of them in less secure situations.

When everyone is forced to use a single verification method — especially one that a large part of the population does not even have access to — it does not necessarily create more security. Sometimes, all it does is encourage people to get “creative”: borrowing someone else’s card, turning to questionable third-party services, or looking for shortcuts that could put their privacy at risk.

The irony is that the biggest risk may no longer be a minor accessing a game, but an adult exposing personal information because the platform decided there was only one acceptable way to prove their age.

Security measures should make people safer, not push them toward less secure choices. Otherwise, the solution can become part of the problem, which is quite an ironic twist for a feature designed specifically to improve “security.”