• Travelers in the US will soon be expected to present a Real ID to board a plane.
• The Department of Homeland Security is set to start enforcing Real IDs on May 7.
• But Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said travelers will be able to fly without Real ID for now.

Travelers in the United States could have their vacations derailed this summer if they don't secure a Real ID.

The May 7 deadline set by the Department of Homeland Security is fast approaching, meaning old driver's licenses will no longer be considered an acceptable form of identification for adults boarding domestic flights.

But what happens if you arrive at a TSA security checkpoint without a Real ID? Here's everything you need to know.

What is a Real ID?

Real IDs were a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission, formed in 2002 under former President George W. Bush, for the federal government to "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses and identification cards."

In addition to boarding domestic commercial flights, Real IDs will be required to grant access to certain federal facilities and nuclear power plants.

The US Congress formally passed the Real ID Act in 2005. But the federal government has delayed enforcing Real IDs several times over the past two decades. Though Real IDs are a form of identification, Homeland Security says they are not considered proof of citizenship.

How do you know if you have a Real ID-compliant card?

Unlike previous ID cards, a Real ID will have a star marking on the upper half of the card.

"If the card does not have a star marking, it is not REAL ID-compliant and won't be accepted as proof of identity to board commercial aircraft," Homeland Security said.

But there are variations. Depending on the state, Real IDs can feature a gold star, a black star, a gold circle with a white star cutout, or a black circle with a white star cutout.

In California, Real IDs have an image of a gold grizzly bear with a white star cutout. Homeland Security announced on April 24 that New York State Real IDs, enhanced licenses, and identification cards will have a star or the US flag.

How do you get a Real ID?

The process of acquiring a Real ID varies by state.

For example, obtaining a Real ID in Alaska means applying in person at an Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles office and providing a primary document showing specific information, including birth name and US citizenship status.

In Texas, people can apply for a Real ID-compliant card in person at a Texas Department of Public Safety office. Some may be eligible to renew their driver's license or ID online.

Homeland Security says that at the very least, people must present documents showing their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of principal residence address, and legal status to obtain a Real ID.

As Business Insider has reported, some people who have changed their names via marriage or divorce are having trouble gathering the necessary paperwork to apply for Real ID.

Homeland Security's website provides a Real ID map, allowing users to click on their state for more information.

Photos showed Americans throughout the United States waiting hours in line to obtain Real IDs ahead of the deadline, with some government offices remaining open longer than normal to accommodate the crowds.

The line at a Real ID Super Center in Chicago, operated by the Secretary of State, stretched for nearly two blocks the day before the deadline.

Can you apply for a Real ID after the May 7 deadline?

Though Homeland Security is set to begin enforcing Real IDs on May 7, people can submit applications anytime. Those who don't have a Real ID card by that date could face issues traveling in the United States and lose access to certain federal buildings.

Can you fly without a real ID after May 7?

Adults flying domestically in the United States can show an alternative form of identification. The Transportation Security Administration doesn't require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States.

The agency's website shared a list of accepted identification options, including US passports, US passport cards, state-issued Enhanced Driver's Licenses, and more. But in April, TSA said the temporary paper card given to applicants by the DMV wouldn't be accepted.

If travelers don't have an acceptable form of ID, a TSA officer "may ask you to complete an identity verification process, which includes collecting information such as your name and current address to confirm your identity," TSA's website says, continuing: "If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint, where you may be subject to additional screening."

"You will not be allowed to enter the security checkpoint if you choose to not provide acceptable identification, you decline to cooperate with the identity verification process, or your identity cannot be confirmed," the website says.

Homeland Security says passengers attempting to fly without proper identification can "expect to face delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reiterated this on Tuesday, saying those without a Real ID would be able to fly, though they would be subject to additional questioning at airports.

• The Pew Research Center surveyed American teenagers about social media and technology.
• Seventeen percent said they used Elon Musk's social media app, X — a steep decline compared to a decade ago.
• More teens use Meta's Instagram, Facebook, and, increasingly, WhatsApp.

American teenagers just don't love X.

It's one of the least used major social media sites among US teenagers, followed only by Reddit and Threads, according to a new study published by the Pew Research Center.

The Washington DC-based think tank surveyed nearly 1,400 teenagers between September and October to collect the data, which showed that 17% of teen respondents said they use X, a six-point decrease from 2022 when 23% of surveyed teenagers said they used the site.

Elon Musk purchased X, formerly Twitter, in 2022.

Representatives for X did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Other popular social media sites also saw a decline in use among teens.

YouTube, owned by Google, attracted the highest percentage of teenage users despite falling from 95% to 90% from 2022 to 2024. ByteDance's TikTok came in second place with 63% of respondents saying they used the app, compared to 67% two years ago.

Snap Inc.'s Snapchat recorded 55%, another slight decline from 59% in 2022.

Instagram, owned by Meta, was used by 61%, about the same as two years ago, while Meta's Facebook also held steady at 32%. Reddit also remained consistent, with 14% of teens saying they used the app, the same as 2022.

Threads, which Meta launched in 2023, was used by 6% of teens.

There was only one social media site that grew in popularity with teens over the past two years: WhatsApp.

The Meta-owned messaging app went from 17% of teens saying they used it in 2022 to 23% this year — overtaking X in teenage users, according to the Pew surveys.

Meta, then Facebook Inc., bought WhatsApp for $22 billion in 2014, an investment that the company says is finally paying off.

On Meta's quarter-three earnings call in November, the company reported a 48% year-over-year increase in non-advertising revenue that was largely attributed to WhatsApp.

The revenue boost was mostly due to the app's product that allows businesses to pay to chat directly with customers.

But WhatsApp is also known to be great for large group chats, which have become increasingly popular with teens.

• Grimes shared new details about the custody dispute with her former partner Elon Musk.
• Grimes wrote on X that she "spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers rights."
• Grimes said she was "going bankrupt" during the dispute and had a "fraction" of Musk's resources.

Grimes said she was "going bankrupt" during her custody dispute with Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla with whom she shares three children.

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, became embroiled in a custody dispute in 2023 over her children with Musk: X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus. Grimes and Musk filed separate lawsuits against each other that year in California and Texas, respectively.

As BI reported on Thursday, the two have ended their custody battle in Texas.

Grimes and Musk have largely been quiet about the custody dispute, however Grimes on Wednesday shared some details about how going to court against her billionaire ex impacted her.

When asked on the social-media platform X, which Musk owns, why she hadn't released many projects as of late, Grimes wrote that "the threat of losing ur kids while going bankrupt fighting for them is not very conducive to creative thoughts."

"I just slept and cried every minute I wasn't explicitly fighting for my kids during that year," she said.

In another post, Grimes said much of her art output was shut down for four years because she was having kids and spent one year in court, presumably a reference to the case.

In a separate post, Grimes said she had only a "fraction" of Musk's resources. Musk's net worth of $315 billion makes him the richest man in the world.

"Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers rights having my instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn't have my kids and fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he becomes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/ strategy experience), all the while I didn't see one of my babies for 5 months," she said.

Representatives for Grimes and Musk didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Grimes appeared to be referring to the former couple's oldest child, X, who often appears publicly with Musk.

In September 2023, on the same day Musk filed his custody suit, Grimes wrote and quickly deleted an X post calling on Musk to "let me see my son or plz respond to my lawyer."

The state Grimes appeared to be referring to when she mentioned mothers' rights was Texas, as a major battle in the custody dispute was whether the case should proceed in California, where Grimes argued the children lived, or Texas, which Musk's team argued for.

Family-law experts previously told BI that both Texas and California used the same standards for determining custody — the best interest of the child. Texas, however, caps child-support payments at $2,760 for three children, while California has no cap. That means if the case included child-support orders, Musk could be ordered to pay a significantly larger amount in California.

Grimes and Musk appeared to be on good terms in April, when they shared a brief but apparently friendly exchange on X.

In July of this year, Grimes' mother said in a series of X posts that Musk was "withholding" the children from the rest of the family.

In August, Grimes and Musk appeared in court in Austin. The hearing was closed to the public and press.

More recently Musk has been diving further into politics, with President-elect Donald Trump announcing the Tesla billionaire would co-lead a Department of Government Efficiency, also called DOGE.

The government advisory group's stated goals include slashing government spending and trimming the federal government workforce.

November 21, 2024: This story has been updated to reflect that the custody lawsuit in Texas was closed.