The UK has a big problem. Their new law wants to keep kids safe online. But smart players found a way around it. They use a video game character to fool the system.
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What is the UK’s New Law?
The UK made a new rule called the Online Safety Act. This law says people must prove they are old enough to see certain things online. Websites like Discord, Reddit, and dating apps now ask users to scan their face or show ID.
The law started working on July 25, 2025. Companies that don’t follow the rules can pay huge fines. They might pay up to $24.2 million or 10% of all their money.
The Clever Gaming Trick
Players found a smart way to beat the system. They use a character named Sam Porter Bridges from a game called Death Stranding. Here’s how it works:
- Open the game Death Stranding on your computer
- Use the photo mode feature
- Point your phone camera at the screen
- Make the character open and close his mouth
- The age check system thinks the character is a real person
An X user named Dany Sterkhov was the first person to share this trick. He showed everyone how easy it was to fool Discord’s age check.
Why Does This Work?
Death Stranding has very realistic graphics. The game came out in 2019 and used new face scanning technology. The character looks so real that computers can’t tell he’s fake.
The age check systems ask users to move their face or open their mouth. The game lets players control the character’s face expressions. So players can make Sam do exactly what the system asks.
Which Websites Fall for This Trick?
Several popular websites got fooled by this method:
- Discord – Uses k-ID system for face scanning
- Reddit – Uses Persona system for checks
But not all systems are fooled. Bluesky uses Yoti technology and spotted the fake face.
What Are People Saying?
Many people don’t like sharing their face or ID with websites. They worry about privacy and safety. Some users signed up for VPNs instead. One VPN company saw 1,400% more UK users after the law started.
Over 350,000 people signed a petition against the age checks. Many think the law is too harsh and invades privacy.
Problems with the New System
This gaming trick shows big problems with the age check system:
- Privacy Concerns: People don’t want to share personal photos
- Weak Technology: If a video game character can fool the system, it’s not very good
- Easy to Beat: Players found a way around it in less than 24 hours
- VPN Use: People are using VPNs to pretend they live somewhere else
What This Means for Online Safety
The law was made to protect children from harmful content. But if adults can easily get around it, kids probably can too. This makes the whole system less useful.
The fact that a video game character looks real enough to trick computers shows how good games have become. But it also shows that face scanning technology isn’t perfect.
No one from the UK government has said anything about this problem yet. The websites haven’t fixed their systems either.
This situation shows that making good online safety rules is very hard. Technology keeps changing, and smart users always find ways around new rules.
The Death Stranding trick might be funny, but it points to serious questions. How can we keep kids safe online without making it too hard for adults? And how can we make sure age checks actually work?
Right now, the UK’s new law has created more problems than solutions. Until better technology comes along, people will keep finding creative ways to avoid these checks.