steam's australian age gate can lock adults out because their debit card isn't enough
Australia's age-assurance rules require checks before users can access R18+ games, but they do not require one specific method. Steam's implementation is asking Australian users for a valid credit card, and plenty of adults who only use debit cards are reporting that they can pay on Steam but still fail the R18+ gate. Some debit cards appear to pass depending on the bank, so this is not as simple as 'all debit cards are blocked.' The important distinction is that Australia requires age assurance. It does not require Valve to use this exact card check. If your old Steam account can buy normal games but cannot even open an R18+ store page because your card fails the check, the implementation deserves criticism.