Players in UK are bypassing age verification using Death Stranding 2

Users are sharing their successful verifications on Reddit and Discord after the Online Safety Act was implemented

A recent discovery has revealed that Death Stranding's photo mode can easily bypass the UK’s newly enforced age verification systems, affecting platforms like Reddit and Discord.

This follows the implementation of the UK's online safety regulations, which began requiring age checks on various sites from Friday, July 25.

According to The Verge, the trick was first brought to light by Dany Sterkhov, who shared the method of using Death Stranding's in-game photo mode to bypass facial scanning systems.

By activating the photo mode and pointing a phone camera at the screen, users can use Sam Bridges, the game’s protagonist, to fool age verification tools into believing the user is an adult.

Users have been sharing their demonstrations online.

You can use Death Stranding's photo mode to bypass Discord's age verification https://t.co/o9n0c0lwkI pic.twitter.com/mvYmhZZCVp

— Dany Sterkhov 🛡✈ (@DanySterkhov) July 25, 2025

Both Reddit and Discord, which use the Persona and k-ID facial recognition services, were tricked by this method.

Users on Discord were prompted to open and close Sam’s mouth, while Reddit’s Persona service requested users to move Sam's face, both actions successfully passing verification.

Interestingly, the trick was not effective on Bluesky, which uses Yoti's facial estimation technology. Yoti has also partnered with Instagram to use similar age verification tools.

Despite this limitation, the Death Stranding photo mode bypass offers a simple way to access age-restricted content without resorting to VPNs or sharing personal information like credit card details.

People in the UK are using Norman Reedus' highly detailed face from Death Stranding to get past newly imposed age restrictions

He looks so real that it tricks the photo ID system pic.twitter.com/ZO9iSt6FFj

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) July 26, 2025

This bypass could be particularly appealing for users who want to avoid sharing sensitive information with third parties while still complying with age verification requirements.

While the method provides a potential shortcut for adults looking to bypass age restrictions, it underscores ongoing concerns about the efficacy and privacy implications of AI-driven systems in today’s digital landscape.