Bluesky has begun requiring users in South Dakota and Wyoming to verify their age in response to new state-level online safety laws.
These rules are being sold as protections for kids, but the reality is they force everyone to hand over sensitive info just to stay online. Anonymous access is being quietly pushed out, replaced by systems that expect you to verify who you are before you can speak, share, or connect.
Those in affected areas will need to confirm their age using options such as a digital ID, payment card, or another approved method.
More: The Digital ID and Online Age Verification Agenda
The company is using Epic Games’ Kids Web Services (KWS) to manage the verification process.
This is the same system Bluesky adopted in the UK to meet similar legal obligations.
KWS allows platforms to integrate age verification tools and parental controls without imposing blanket restrictions on all users.
Unlike laws in many states that apply only to adult content or sites hosting large amounts of “harmful” material, South Dakota and Wyoming have taken a broader route beyond sites that are mainly focused on adult content.
Bluesky’s move comes shortly after it withdrew from Mississippi. In that case, the state required platforms to block access to anyone who could not verify their age at the point of account creation.
Bluesky objected, stating that the law “would block everyone from accessing the site — teens and adults — unless they hand over sensitive information.”
In a public blog post, the company outlined its reasoning:
“At Bluesky, we’re working to drive large-scale adoption of technologies for open and decentralized public conversation. We built our app to provide you with better choices when it comes to privacy, expression, and safety. That’s why we give people options for how content moderation works, on top of our baseline policies.”
The post continued:
“We recognize that promoting safety for young people is a shared responsibility, and we support the idea of collective action to protect children from online risks. We also recognize that governments may have strong, often conflicting, views on these issues and how to weigh competing priorities. In this rapidly evolving regulatory environment, our goal is to respect the law while balancing safety, free expression, and user privacy to serve the greater good of our community. Responding to new laws and regulations will require pragmatism and flexibility.”
Bluesky emphasized that, unlike its approach in Mississippi, it will not be pulling out of South Dakota or Wyoming. Instead, the platform will remain accessible, with age verification handled through KWS.
“These are very similar to the requirements of the UK Online Safety Act. So, as we did in the UK, we’ll enable Kids Web Services’ (KWS) age verification solution for users in these states,” the company said. “We believe this approach currently strikes the right balance. Bluesky will remain available to users in these states, and we will not need to restrict the app for everyone.”
The company also made clear it plans to adjust its approach as more governments implement similar rules:
“We’re committed to keeping our community informed as we navigate these new regulations. As more states and countries adopt similar requirements, we will update this blog post accordingly.”
The new laws reflect a growing trend of state governments asserting more control over how online platforms operate, placing increased pressure on services that value user privacy.
