Early Life Check
The phrase “early life check,” sometimes written as “check their early life,” references the ‘Early Life’ section of Wikipedia pages for individuals, which often lists attributes like family members, place of birth, ethnicity and religion. Since at least the mid-2010s, the information in this section has been weaponized by hateful users on sites like 4chan to target individuals based on these attributes. For example, someone may target an individual by calling for an “early life check” to “prove” that they are Jewish by pointing out that they were born to a Jewish parent. Today, antisemitic, racist and anti-LGBTQ+ influencers have taken to more mainstream platforms asking for “early life checks” on anyone they seek to harass in hopes of covertly highlighting and demonizing their race, religious beliefs, gender identity and more.