As of today, Friday 25 July 2025, adults in the UK will need to prove to websites that they are over 18 years old to view sensitive adult-only content online.
Today marks a significant change in how online adult content is accessed in the United Kingdom, in line with new rules introduced under the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom, the UK’s regulator for online safety, will ensure the rules are enforced and that strong age verification checks are in place to keep children safe and prevent them from accessing harmful content online.
The broad majority of major pornography services accessed in the UK have confirmed to Ofcom they will implement the required age checks, and they should now have appropriate measures in place to comply with the new laws.
Previously, websites serving adult content could use simple buttons or checkboxes that asked the user to confirm they are over 18. These will no longer be in compliance with the UK’s new laws.
Instead, users will be required to prove they are over 18 using more robust checks, including supplying a copy of their photo ID or submitting to an open banking check.
How age verification works
Websites operating in the UK that serve adult content will be able to use a number of possible age verification methods that comply with the robustness requirement of the Online Safety Act.
Those accessing websites that serve adult content in the UK may encounter the following types of age verification checks:
| Facial age estimation | You show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age. |
| Open banking | You give permission for the age-check service to securely access information from your bank about whether you are over 18. The age-check service then confirms this with the site or app. |
| Digital identity services | These include digital identity wallets, which can securely store and share information which proves your age in a digital format. |
| Credit card age checks | You provide your credit card details and a payment processor checks if the card is valid. As you must be over 18 to obtain a credit card this shows you are over 18. |
| Email-based age estimation | You provide your email address, and technology analyses other online services where it has been used – such as banking or utility providers – to estimate your age. |
| Mobile network operator age checks | You give your permission for an age-check service to confirm whether or not your mobile phone number has age filters applied to it. If there are no restrictions, this confirms you are over 18. |
| Photo-ID matching | You upload an image of a document that shows your face and age, and an image of yourself at the same time – these are compared to confirm if the document is yours. |
Keeping user data safe
Many UK internet users may be concerned over the safety of the data they provide to these services to verify their age.
Ofcom has noted that the platforms required to implement these checks must not exclude adults from accessing legal content and must not compromise the privacy of their users.
The regulator has made clear that all age assurance methods are subject to the requirements of UK privacy laws, and online pornography services or other websites serving adult content are required to keep written records explaining how they protect users from a breach of these laws.
If any company fails to comply with the new age verification rules, they can be subject to fines £18m or 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue (whichever is greater), or even court orders to prevent their website or application from being available in the country.
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