Age verification as a method to protect children from harmful content has been around since the early 2000s. But now, stricter age verification laws with advanced and privacy-infringing verification methods are being introduced. While age verification is used to protect the youth from explicit content online, for example, porn and dating sites, it also de-anonymizes online usage in a way we’ve never seen before. Requiring people to verify their age through methods like facial recognition or by registering with an official ID does make it harder for children to access restricted content, but it is not a foolproof solution. But the real problem here is that these invasive forms of verification infringe on everyone’s privacy, increase the risk of online surveillance, and could end anonymity online.