Following the implementation of the UK’s Online Safety Act, numerous users are finding ways to bypass age-checks on platforms like Discord through the photo mode feature in Death Stranding. By launching the game and capturing images of Sam Porter Bridges, they can hoodwink Discord’s verification processes.

This act, which became fully enforceable on July 25, mandates age checks for adult content online. Prior to its enforcement, Discord had initiated trials for its age-verification measures across the UK and parts of Europe as early as April 2025, employing a method called K-id that uses face or ID scans to verify users and subsequently deletes documentation after verification. However, these requirements have raised eyebrows, with users airing privacy concerns about the data collected.

As per reports from PC Gamer, individual Twitter user Dany Sterkhov stated that the Photo Mode function in Death Stranding can facilitate access to age-restricted channels as before. By utilizing this mode, users can present Sam’s face to the age-verification system, which doesn’t store the photographic proof, lending further credence to their ploy.

Another user, GimmeBoss, remarked that this same tactic applies to Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for similar authentication checks. Critics of the K-id system have labeled the Online Safety Act as “Draconian”, questioning the safety of vendors engaged in age-verification measures. While some players exploit the photo mode to bypass verification, others have taken to employing VPNs to mask their IP addresses for domestic access to digital platforms.