Age Verification Laws Secria

Age Verification LawsCountries

UK age verification under the Online Safety Act

Since July 2025, every service that allows porn in the UK must use highly effective age checks.1 Ofcom enforces it, and has fined several porn providers.2

Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources.

What the law requires

Ofcom's guidance and codes set out how services must check ages. The checks came in stages.1, 3

  1. Ofcom publishes its age check guidance. Services that publish their own porn must start bringing in age checks straight away, and every service that allows porn must have highly effective checks by July 2025 at the latest.1
  2. Ofcom's Protection of Children Code for user-to-user services comes into force.3

Who it covers

User-to-user and search services fall under the Act if they have a significant number of UK users or target the UK, wherever the company is based.4

Porn content must not be visible before or during the age check.1

Maximum fine

£18 million or 10% of the company's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.5

This page describes laws and regulator decisions. It is not legal advice.

Methods Ofcom accepts, and ones it does not

The test is the result: the check must be highly effective at telling whether a user is a child. Ofcom lists methods that can meet it.1

MethodOfcom's view
Open bankingCan be highly effective
Photo ID matchingCan be highly effective
Facial age estimationCan be highly effective
Mobile network operator checksCan be highly effective
Credit card checksCan be highly effective
Digital identity servicesCan be highly effective
Email-based age estimationCan be highly effective
Self-declaration of ageNot highly effective
Online payments that don't require the payer to be 18Not highly effective
 From Ofcom's guidance of 16 January 2025, as published on 28 October 2026.1

Fines so far for missing age checks

Ofcom opened investigations into dozens of adult sites within days of the duty starting in July 2025.2 These are the fines Ofcom has announced for porn providers, newest first.

AnnouncedProviderFine
4 Sep 2026The provider of a porn site, for July to November 2025It has since added age checks and blocked the UK.£700,000, plus £30,0006
9 Jul 2026The provider of a porn siteIt has since blocked access from UK IP addresses.£600,000, plus £30,0007
27 May 2026Youngtek Solutions Ltd, four adult sites, 25 July to 22 September 2025£500,000, plus £100,0008
23 Feb 20268579 LLCMust add checks or pay £1,000 a day.£1.35 million, plus £50,0002
12 Feb 2026Kick Online Entertainment SA, 25 July to 29 December 2025£800,0009
 The second amount in each row is for not answering Ofcom's information request. Not a complete list of Ofcom's online safety fines.

Next: no social media for under-16s

On 15 June 2026 the government announced it will ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, using the same model as Australia.10

What is planned

The government named platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, and said it does not intend to include messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.10 Livestreaming and contact from strangers would be restricted for under-16s on other services, gaming included.11

When

The government says the first regulations will be laid before the end of 2026 and the changes should come in during spring 2027.11 Until then, nothing changes for families.11

Questions people ask

When did age verification start in the UK?

In stages. Ofcom told sites that publish their own porn to start on 16 January 2025, with every service that allows porn to have highly effective checks by July 2025.1 The children's code came into force on 25 July 2025.3

Do I have to upload my ID?

Not always. Ofcom lists several methods that can be highly effective, including facial age estimation, open banking and mobile network checks. Which ones you see depends on the service.1

Does the Online Safety Act apply to sites outside the UK?

Yes, for user-to-user and search services with a significant number of UK users, or that target the UK.4

Will adults need to prove their age for social media after the ban?

The government says many adults won't, for example where an account has been open more than 16 years or has a credit card connected to it. For others, it says a facial age estimation check could be enough.11

Sources 11
  1. Age checks to protect children online, 16 January 2025, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 24 October 2026.
  2. Ofcom fines porn company £1.35 million for not having age checks, 23 February 2026, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 3 October 2026.
  3. Protection of Children Code of Practice for user-to-user services (issued 4 July 2025, in force 25 July 2025), Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 4 August 2025.
  4. Online Safety Act 2023, section 4, legislation.gov.uk. Read 28 October 2026.
  5. Online Safety Act 2023, Schedule 13, paragraph 4 (maximum amount of penalties), legislation.gov.uk. Read 28 October 2026.
  6. Porn site deploys age checks as Ofcom fines it £730,000, 4 September 2026, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 22 September 2026.
  7. Ofcom fines porn company £630,000 for age check failings, 9 July 2026, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 26 July 2026.
  8. Ofcom fines Youngtek Solutions Ltd for not having age checks, 27 May 2026, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 27 May 2026.
  9. Ofcom fines porn company £800,000 for failing to introduce age checks, 12 February 2026, Ofcom. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 15 August 2026.
  10. Social media to be banned for under-16s, 15 June 2026, UK Government. Read 28 October 2026.
  11. Fact sheet: new rules to protect children online, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Read 28 October 2026.

Every fact here comes from the law, the regulator or the government, checked again and dated. How we check