网上有虚假帖文声称，英国政府正在取消在英国议会选举中投票时出示身份证件的要求，这些帖文还误导性地暗示，人们以后必须出示身份证件作为在社交媒体上证明年龄的唯一方法。
Online posts claiming falsely that the British government is ending the requirement to show identification to vote in UK parliamentary elections also misleadingly suggest that people will have to present an identification document as the only way to prove their age on social media.
“安迪·伯恩汉姆（Andy Burnham）正在修改法律。你需要身份证才能使用社交媒体。你不再需要身份证就能在选举中投票。我们都能看出这里发生了什么，对吧？”10月11日的一篇社交媒体帖文获得了广泛浏览。
然而，英国政府表示，其提议扩大人们投票时可使用的身份证件范围，而不是废除出示身份证件的要求。
“Andy Burnham is changing the law. You will need an I.D to use social media. You will no longer need an I.D to vote in elections We can all see what is happening here right?” a widely viewed October 11 social media post said. However, the UK government says it is proposing to expand the range of identification documents that people can use to vote, not scrap the requirement to show one.
虽然出示身份证件是在线验证用户年龄的方法之一，但没有证据表明它是——或将是——唯一的方法。
While presenting an identification document is one way to verify a user's age online, there is no evidence that it is — or will be — the only method.
英国住房、社区及地方政府事务部在2026年2月的一份政策文件中表示，该部门希望保留选民出示身份证件的要求，但将英国授权的银行卡加入到认可的证件清单中。
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said in a February 2026 policy paper that it wanted to keep the requirement for voters to show identification but add UK-authorised bank cards to the list of accepted documents.
英国议会网站显示，这些变更已被纳进《2026年人民代表法案》（Representation of the People Bill 2026）中，在撰写本文时，该法案正处于上议院审议阶段。该部拒绝置评。
The changes were included in the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which, at the time of writing, was in the House of Lords, according to the UK Parliament’s website. The ministry declined to comment.
2023年在议会通过的《在线安全法》（Online Safety Act）要求社交媒体平台进行年龄核查，以防止儿童接触有害内容。
The Online Safety Act, which was passed in parliament in 2023, requires social media platforms to carry age checks to prevent children from accessing harmful content.
虽然该立法没有列出具体的年龄验证方法，但第12条第(6)款规定，“年龄验证或年龄估算”必须“高度有效”。
While the legislation does not list specific age verification methods, section 12(6) says the "age verification or age estimation" must be "highly effective".
该法案指示英国通信管理局（Ofcom）就平台应如何验证用户年龄发布指导意见。
The act instructed the UK's communications regulator Ofcom to produce guidance on how platforms should verify a user's age.
英国通信管理局于2025年4月发布指导意见称，通过银行、信用卡公司或移动网络运营商进行的核查、面部年龄估算、基于电子邮件的年龄估算以及照片身份证明匹配，均属于能够成为高度有效的方法。
Ofcom issued guidance in April 2025 that said checks via banks, credit card companies or mobile network operators, facial age estimation, email-based age estimation and photo identification matching were capable of being highly effective methods.
其中一些方法，例如面部年龄估算或基于电子邮件的年龄估算，不需要用户出示身份证件。
Some of these methods, such as facial age estimation or email-based age estimation, do not require users to present an identification document.
在其关于《在线安全法》实施情况的报告中，英国通信管理局表示，根据其收到的来自平台的回复，最常用的方法是面部年龄估算，其次是照片身份证明匹配。
In a report on the implementation of the Online Safety Act, Ofcom said according to responses it had received from platforms, the most common method used was facial age estimation, followed by photo identification matching.
2026年6月，英国政府文化、媒体及体育部（DCMS）宣布，其希望禁止16岁以下的儿童使用社交媒体，并表示英国通信管理局将为年龄验证提供各种选项。
In June 2026, the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced it wanted to ban social media for children under 16 and said Ofcom would produce options for age verification.
英国通信管理局的一位发言人在一封电子邮件中表示：“正如政府所要求的，我们将在10月底前发布对16岁时实现高度有效年龄保证选项的评估，以供议会辩论参考。”政府表示，预计将在2026年底前向英国议会提交立法。
An Ofcom spokesperson said in an email: "By the end of October, we will publish our assessment of options for highly effective age assurance at 16 – to inform parliamentary debate – as requested by Government." The government said it expects to put legislation before the UK Parliament by the end of 2026.
英国文化、媒体及体育部的一位发言人在电子邮件中表示，该部认识到拥有多种证明年龄的方法对于确保网络空间的可及性非常重要。这位发言人补充说，只要方法有效，政府无意对使用何种方法进行硬性规定。
A DCMS spokesperson said in an email it recognises having a range of methods to prove age is important to ensure online spaces are accessible. The government does not intend to be prescriptive about what methods are used, providing they are effective, the spokesperson added.
具有误导性。英国政府表示，其希望扩大英国选民用于证明身份的证件范围，而不是废除该要求。没有证据表明出示身份证件是——或将是——社交媒体用户验证年龄的唯一途径。本文由路透社事实核查团队制作。
Misleading. The UK government says it wants to expand the documents UK voters can use to prove their identity, not scrap the requirement. There is no evidence that presenting an identification document is — or will be — the only way social media users can verify their age. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.