The UK’s media regulator says pornography services must provide age checks from July 2025 to prevent children encountering online porn.
New guidance from Ofcom details how age-checking methods must be “technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair” to be considered “highly effective“.
Suggested methods include photo ID, facial age estimation and credit card checks.
The move is the latest in the enforcement of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which includes other measures to control children’s internet usage.
Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, has said companies which fail to meet the new age-check requirements can expect to face enforcement action from the regulator.
The UK has been trying to regulate access to pornographic online content for more than a decade, without success.
