Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

How do I prove I am over 18 with out a credit card?

Gone 46 years with out one.
My account is 21 years old, still tied to my original email.... that is 21 years old... but I have to get a credit card to prove I am over 18.... stupid steam, stupid online "safety" act.

All because parents do not want to use the tools that have been around for decades to protect thier own children from harmful content, you know...the job of every parent. We are getting situations where companies are implementing these "protections" in stupid ways.

For UK users, this opt-in process requires age verification. Your UK Steam user account is considered age verified for as long as a valid credit card is stored on the account.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/292B-3DA3-CFC8-97F6

Age of account has zero relevance.

The Ofcom requirements are:

1) Age assurance methods – which include age verification, age estimation or a combination of both – must be ‘highly effective’ at correctly determining whether a particular user is a child.

2) They include: open banking, photo ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, credit card checks, digital identity services and email-based age estimation;


Valve have chosen credit card as they have the payment processes in place and Ofcom only requires one method to be used.

You don't. So you can either go somewhere else to buy games (either including or excluding steam keys) or you can wait until steam hopefully implement a better method such as open banking.

Originally posted by A fae friend, with love:

You don't. So you can either go somewhere else to buy games (either including or excluding steam keys) or you can wait until steam hopefully implement a better method such as open banking.

What is open banking?

Originally posted by Leader of the Zakonistians:

What is open banking?

Open Banking allows you to share certain financial information that only you and your bank can see, such as your balance and transaction history, with other financial providers or services of your choosing.

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

How do I prove I am over 18 with out a credit card?

Gone 46 years with out one.
My account is 21 years old, still tied to my original email.... that is 21 years old... but I have to get a credit card to prove I am over 18.... stupid steam, stupid online "safety" act.

All because parents do not want to use the tools that have been around for decades to protect thier own children from harmful content, you know...the job of every parent. We are getting situations where companies are implementing these "protections" in stupid ways.

For UK users, this opt-in process requires age verification. Your UK Steam user account is considered age verified for as long as a valid credit card is stored on the account.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/292B-3DA3-CFC8-97F6

:nkCool:

That link didnt help much, there is a mention of a support ticket, though the link takes to a faq.. It took a while but I found how to submit a ticket. will update the thread with any reply I get. I have plenty of ways to prove my age that do not involve a credit card.

Steam have really dropped the ball on this one.

Originally posted by A fae friend, with love:

You don't. So you can either go somewhere else to buy games (either including or excluding steam keys) or you can wait until steam hopefully implement a better method such as open banking.

I have mentioned in the above ticket that I am happy for them to fully refund all the games on my library should they be unwilling to accept my proof of age in any other way than credit card. I dont really want that tbh, but i also do not want to give money to a company that feels forcing someone to get a credit card is ok (there are plenty of other legitimate ways to prove ones age)

I mean, I get that this situation sucks.

Id just suggest that the frustration be directed where appropriate, which is your ridiculous government.

Its not a situation that Ive tracked but it seems this was passed rather suddenly. Trying to blame Valve for not being prepared for the ridiculous requirements and having several alternative methods immediately is unreasonable.

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

Age of account has zero relevance.

The Ofcom requirements are:

1) Age assurance methods – which include age verification, age estimation or a combination of both – must be ‘highly effective’ at correctly determining whether a particular user is a child.

2) They include: open banking, photo ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, credit card checks, digital identity services and email-based age estimation;


Valve have chosen credit card as they have the payment processes in place and Ofcom only requires one method to be used.

Online banking would be ok
I have a drivers license with my DoB on it so photo ID would be fine.
Facial age estimation is fine (so long as the data is not stored on a third party)
mobile network age check is fine (that would be an obvious one in the UK, very few people dont have a mobile phone)
digitial identity services....hmmmm i dont trust them tbh
email based... np same email address as when i created the account 21 years ago.

Steam sshould be allowing any of these... not just credit card verification.

Originally posted by AmsterdamHeavy:

I mean, I get that this situation sucks.

Id just suggest that the frustration be directed where appropriate, which is your ridiculous government.

Its not a situation that Ive tracked but it seems this was passed rather suddenly. Trying to blame Valve for not being prepared for the ridiculous requirements and having several alternative methods immediately is unreasonable.

Steam have chosen to ONLY accept one form of ID automatically (hoping my ticket will give me options). That is on steam, there are other legal ways to prove my age.... see above.

Steam I am frustrated and annoyed with. My government that rubber stamped my last governments bill I am furious with. The bill is a massive overstep, it has sites geo locking the UK, it puts our identity at risk all to save parents from doing what is their responsibility (and what has had tools to do so for decades). Written to my MP who seems to be as useless as a chocolate fireguard, signed petitions but beyond that...I have no power to change it. I certainly never voted for it...nor did I have a choice (beyond the fact I voted out the conservatives who submitted the bill.....though 15 years of austerity was my reason for voting against them). Steam are not blameless in all this, they took the lazy way forgetting that the majority of the UK dont have credit cards or do not trust them online.

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

I have mentioned in the above ticket that I am happy for them to fully refund all the games on my library should they be unwilling to accept my proof of age in any other way than credit card.

You're not going to get any refunds because your government decided to impose a silly law.

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

Originally posted by AmsterdamHeavy:

I mean, I get that this situation sucks.

Id just suggest that the frustration be directed where appropriate, which is your ridiculous government.

Its not a situation that Ive tracked but it seems this was passed rather suddenly. Trying to blame Valve for not being prepared for the ridiculous requirements and having several alternative methods immediately is unreasonable.

Steam have chosen to ONLY accept one form of ID automatically (hoping my ticket will give me options). That is on steam, there are other legal ways to prove my age.... see above.

Steam I am frustrated and annoyed with. My government that rubber stamped my last governments bill I am furious with. The bill is a massive overstep, it has sites geo locking the UK, it puts our identity at risk all to save parents from doing what is their responsibility (and what has had tools to do so for decades). Written to my MP who seems to be as useless as a chocolate fireguard, signed petitions but beyond that...I have no power to change it. I certainly never voted for it...nor did I have a choice (beyond the fact I voted out the conservatives who submitted the bill.....though 15 years of austerity was my reason for voting against them). Steam are not blameless in all this, they took the lazy way forgetting that the majority of the UK dont have credit cards or do not trust them online.

Steam have chosen to legally comply with your government's insane overreach. Blame your government for making this law instead of being parents, and blame them for not knowing this sudden and mysterious drought of credit cards across the entire UK. Cause if i were to believe this forum, literally no one in the UK has or has ever had a single credit card.

TLDR; No current option to do so because Valve wanted to push it out asap, and underestimated the fact a significant chunk of the UK population don't bother with credit cards. Probably gonna be a hot minute until they add the standard options of either a selfie or the ID scan so I wouldn't hold your breath for too long.

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

Steam have chosen to ONLY accept one form of ID automatically (hoping my ticket will give me options). That is on steam, there are other legal ways to prove my age.... see above.

Yes, and Steam has said they are looking into other ways, but this was the fastest and easiest. There are no other ways yet.

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

I have mentioned in the above ticket that I am happy for them to fully refund all the games on my library should they be unwilling to accept my proof of age in any other way than credit card.

You are free to delete your account but you will not get a refund on previously bought games which are unaffected by this. This change only effects buying NEW games.

Originally posted by Wolfie von Carendot:

TLDR; No current option to do so because Valve wanted to push it out asap, and underestimated the fact a significant chunk of the UK population don't bother with credit cards.

I mean that is the smart thing to do. Push out an immediate working method for many people while you are working on MORE methods for others. I mean why would they NOT push this out when they had it available. Were they supposed to not give EU users ANY options while they looked at more ways to satisfy the legal change?

Originally posted by Brian9824:

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

Steam have chosen to ONLY accept one form of ID automatically (hoping my ticket will give me options). That is on steam, there are other legal ways to prove my age.... see above.

Yes, and Steam has said they are looking into other ways, but this was the fastest and easiest. There are no other ways yet.

Originally posted by NorfolkDave:

I have mentioned in the above ticket that I am happy for them to fully refund all the games on my library should they be unwilling to accept my proof of age in any other way than credit card.

You are free to delete your account but you will not get a refund on previously bought games which are unaffected by this. This change only effects buying NEW games.

Originally posted by Wolfie von Carendot:

TLDR; No current option to do so because Valve wanted to push it out asap, and underestimated the fact a significant chunk of the UK population don't bother with credit cards.

I mean that is the smart thing to do. Push out an immediate working method for many people while you are working on MORE methods for others. I mean why would they NOT push this out when they had it available. Were they supposed to not give EU users ANY options while they looked at more ways to satisfy the legal change?

Don't you know? if a solution isn't instantly perfect, its a willful failure?

i cant get a credit card due to poor credit , im 50 so i should be treated like a child because i cant get a credit card?