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Ofcom report: many porn sites still without proper age checks
Earlier this year, the UK’s new Online Safety Act came into force, requiring all websites hosting pornographic material to implement “highly effective” age-assurance systems. These can include facial-age estimation, photo-ID verification, credit-card checks or use of a secure “digital identity wallet.”
Yet, despite these legal obligations, a fresh enforcement review from Ofcom has found widespread non-compliance among many sites. Most alarmingly, at least one large adult-content provider was fined £1 million for failing to deploy “robust age checks.”
In addition, Ofcom has launched formal investigations into multiple other providers operating dozens of sites — some with millions of UK visitors — suspecting they still allow access without proper age verification.
Independent reporting by media outlets confirms that even weeks after the law took effect, at least 30–50 websites were still accessible without any meaningful age check or with flimsy, easily bypassed verification.
Why this matters: children remain at risk
The need for strict age verification is not abstract: research suggests that a proportion of children in the UK are exposed to online pornography from a young age. That’s precisely what the new law aims to prevent.
If sites continue to allow access without effective checks, these protections are effectively nullified — undermining the entire purpose of the legislation. Non-compliance means that minors can still stumble across or deliberately seek explicit content, with associated risks to their mental health, development, and well-being.
Regulators have warned that simply ticking an “I am over 18” box is no longer acceptable; age-verification must be “highly effective.”
Enforcement and consequences: fines, investigations — but still gaps remain
To date, Ofcom has penalised at least one major provider with a £1 million fine, making clear that non-compliance will be met with hard sanctions.
But enforcement is still ongoing. Dozens of providers are under investigation, especially those with large UK user bases.
Ofcom has also stated its intention to publish additional reports on how widespread and effective age checks already are across major adult and social-media services.
Despite this — media investigations continue to find many sites accessible without any real verification, some with “mocking” attitudes toward the law.
Wider implications: law in place — but children still vulnerable
The situation reveals a troubling mismatch between law and reality. On paper, the Online Safety Act guarantees protections for children; in practice, many websites have so far failed to implement the required safeguards.
This not only puts vulnerable youngsters at risk — but also erodes public trust in the effectiveness of regulation. If major adult-content sites can flout rules with relative ease, it raises questions about how feasible it is to regulate the sprawling, global, and often anonymous adult-content industry.
Many experts argue that enforcement will need to be sustained, robust, and well-resourced — not just an initial sweep — if the law is to achieve its aim of protecting young people.
The road ahead: what needs to happen now
• Regulators must continue to monitor compliance — and swiftly sanction non-compliant providers. The initial fine is a good start, but more will be needed.
• Transparency: sites should publicly report what age-verification methods they use, enabling scrutiny and accountability.
• Supporting good practice: promote secure, privacy-respecting, third-party age-verification tools so that sites are not forced to invent their own flawed systems.
• Education and awareness: parents, schools, and communities should combine regulation with open conversations about online safety, consent, and digital resilience.
Only with a combined approach — regulation, enforcement, education, and transparency — can the intent of the law match the reality online.
Attached is a news article regarding ofcom saying that porn sites are not doing the correct age checks
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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