Adult content ban looms for UK adults as Ofcom announces new age checks

All UK adult content sites will implement "highly effective" age verification within the next month to better safeguard children, according to an announcement by regulator Ofcom.

Major providers such as Pornhub, Stripchat and Jerkmate have agreed to these enhanced measures, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, under the Online Safety Act (OSA).

Any firm that fails to comply with the checks by July 25, 2025 could face fines or be blocked in the UK through a court order. The platforms are also required to ensure these measures do not infringe on the privacy of adults or hinder them from accessing legal content.

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The Online Safety Act was passed into law in August 2024. The Act provides a regulatory framework to regulate internet services and make the online world safer for individuals in the United Kingdom. This includes illegal content and activity, as well as content that is harmful to children.

Age verification methods may include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to determine or estimate a user's age. Ofcom stated that "the way in which these solutions are implemented in practice" will determine whether it complies with the OSA.

This follows new research by Ofcom revealing that 8% of eight to 14 year olds in the UK had visited an online adult content site or app on smartphones, tablets or computers within a month.

In June 2025, Ofcom announced it had initiated several investigations into 4chan, an adult content site operator and various file-sharing platforms over suspected failures to protect children, following complaints about illegal activity and potential sharing of child abuse images.

It reported that none of the services responded to its legal information requests. Ofcom's group director of online safety, Oliver Griffiths, remarked on the increased protection for children online, saying: "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," he said.

"But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. Now, change is happening," Griffiths added. "These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s."

Ofcom also plans to release a report on the use and effectiveness of age assurance methods next year.

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