Bluesky Halts Access in Mississippi Over Age Verification Law

Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform that rose as an alternative to Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), has announced it will temporarily block access to its service in Mississippi. The decision comes in response to a controversial state law requiring age verification for social media users — a regulation Bluesky argues threatens user privacy and places an undue burden on smaller platforms.

The Mississippi law, passed in 2024 and enforced after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block it on August 14, mandates that all social media users verify they are over 18 — or obtain parental consent if younger. The law was introduced following a tragic case involving a Mississippi teen who took his own life after falling victim to online sextortion.

Though Bluesky acknowledges the law’s intentions to protect minors, the company said in an August 23 statement that the regulation “poses broader challenges and creates significant barriers that limit free speech and harm smaller platforms like ours.”

Bluesky said the requirements would demand costly infrastructure to track and verify users’ ages, including tools to collect personal documents or biometrics. “This raises major privacy concerns,” the company explained, noting that even adults would be forced to provide sensitive personal data to access the app.

Rather than comply immediately, Bluesky opted to block access to its platform for all users accessing it from Mississippi IP addresses. Those affected will see a message explaining the temporary ban and citing ongoing legal challenges.

“We believe effective child safety policies should be carefully tailored to address real harms, without creating huge obstacles for smaller providers and resulting in negative consequences for free expression,” the company stated.

They added, “We do not take this decision lightly. Child safety is a core priority, and in this evolving regulatory landscape, we remain committed to building an open social ecosystem that protects users while preserving choice and innovation.”

The Mississippi case may signal a growing trend of state-level efforts to regulate children's access to social media. However, Bluesky’s response underscores the delicate balance between child safety, platform viability, and user privacy. Critics argue that such regulations could be exploited to introduce surveillance mechanisms and restrict online freedom.

This isn't the first time Bluesky has clashed with age verification policies. Earlier in July, the platform implemented age verification in the UK to comply with that country’s Online Safety Act, prompting similar concerns over cost and user experience.

Launched in 2019 as a Twitter-funded research project and spun out independently in 2021, Bluesky saw explosive growth in late 2024 and early 2025 after Musk’s changes to X alienated many users. While boasting over 38 million users globally, its growth has since plateaued. It currently ranks No. 54 in the Apple App Store’s social networking category.

This temporary suspension in Mississippi may impact its US growth, especially if other states adopt similar verification laws. However, Bluesky has maintained that its mission remains clear: to provide a decentralized, user-first social media experience — even if that means making difficult decisions in the short term.

Legal challenges to the Mississippi law are still underway, and Bluesky has committed to monitoring the outcome closely. The company has promised to keep users informed as the situation develops and hopes to restore access in Mississippi as soon as it is feasible to do so in a way that respects privacy and free speech.

For now, users in Mississippi will have to wait — and watch the courts — before returning to their decentralized timelines.