Bluesky exits Mississippi over age verification row

• Bluesky has decided to exit Mississippi in response to the new age verification law
• Under the law, social media platforms need to verify all users' ages before granting them access
• People in Mississippi may be able to keep accessing Bluesky by spoofing their IP address with a VPN

Bluesky has decided to exit Mississippi in response to the new age verification law, which now requires social media platforms to verify the age of every user before granting them access.

Elon Musk's X rival warns that the new requirements "would fundamentally change how users access Bluesky," while opening up to privacy and security challenges that would impact smaller providers in particular.

Therefore, starting Friday, August 22, 2025, Bluesky is blocking all traffic from Mississippi IP addresses. This, however, means that users based in the state may be able to turn to the best VPN services to keep using the app.

"We do not take this decision lightly," wrote Bluesky in its official announcement, while ensuring that child safety remains a core priority. Yet, "We think this law creates challenges that go beyond its child safety goals, and creates significant barriers that limit free speech and disproportionately harm smaller platforms and emerging technologies."

Being a decentralized platform, the block applies only to the Bluesky app built on the AT Protocol. "Other apps and services may choose to respond differently," explains the provider.

Why is Bluesky worried about Mississippi's age verification approach?

As per Mississippi's HB1126 law, which was upheld by the US Supreme Court on August 14, all social media platforms must verify that every user accessing the platform is over 18 and obtain parental consent for all minors looking to use the app.

The law also requires tech providers to identify and keep track of all teen and child users. Fines for non-compliance can reach up to $10,000 per user.

"Building the required verification systems, parental consent workflows, and compliance infrastructure would require significant resources that our small team is currently unable to spare as we invest in developing safety tools and features for our global community," explains Bluesky.

The economic burden is only half of the story, though.

Bluesky is also concerned that the "law's broad scope" could affect all citizens in Mississippi (not only minors) to use their favorite platforms, negatively impacting their right to free speech and access to information.

The provider also warns against the privacy implications that could stem from collecting and storing such sensitive information about all users, as well as from tracking minors online.

Unfortunately, Bluesky is unavailable in Mississippi right now, due to a new state law that requires age verification for all users. While intended for child safety, we think this law poses broader challenges & creates significant barriers that limit free speech & harm smaller platforms like ours.

— @bsky.app (@bsky.app.bsky.social) 2025-08-26T14:19:50.674Z

Age checks aren't the real issue here, either. Bluesky was indeed one of the first providers to enforce age verification rules in the UK.

Yet, there's a substantial difference between the two laws.

Under the UK Online Safety Act, Bluesky and similar providers are required to verify users' age only for accessing content deemed legal but harmful.

"Mississippi’s law, by contrast, would block everyone from accessing the site – teens and adults – unless they hand over sensitive information, and once they do, the law in Mississippi requires Bluesky to keep track of which users are children," explains the provider.

Can a VPN help?

The Bluesky app is now set to block access to all Mississippi IP addresses "until legal challenges to this law are resolved," explains the provider.

A virtual private network (VPN), however, could help you get back online. A VPN is security software that not only encrypts all your internet connections but also spoofs your IP address by rerouting your traffic via one of its international servers.

Therefore, if you're in Mississippi and want to keep accessing Bluesky, all you need to do is connect to a VPN server based where the app is available.

Remember, though, to use only reliable and secure services to ensure your data stays safe. At the time of writing, NordVPN is TechRadar's top recommendation. If you aren't willing to pay for a subscription just yet, I suggest checking our best free VPNs guide, with PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN being today's top picks.

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