United KingdomOnline Safety Act 2023, Part 5 (duties of providers of regulated provider pornographic content)
Online Safety Act 2023, c. 50, ss. 79-82 (Part 5)
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What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
In force since 17 January 2025.
An adult content age verification (AV) rule binding private bodies.
As of 15 July 2026.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Requires providers that publish or display their own, non-user-generated pornographic content to ensure, using age verification or age estimation or both, that children cannot normally encounter that content. The method used must be highly effective at correctly determining whether a user is a child, and providers must keep written records and publish a public statement on the methods used. The duty in section 81 came into force on 17 January 2025.
If you get it wrong
Private right of actionNo
Penalties
Fines up to the greater of GBP 18,000,000 or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, plus daily penalties for continuing non-compliance and potential business disruption measures.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Ofcom
Litigation
- Matter
- Ofcom investigation into Itai Tech Ltd (Undress.cc nudification site)
- Posture
- Ofcom found the provider failed to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering pornographic content and imposed a GBP 50,000 fine, plus a GBP 5,000 fine for failing to respond to a statutory information request, decision published 20 November 2025.
- Source link
- https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/ofcom-fines-nudification-site-50000-for-failing-to-introduce-age-checks
What it reaches
Age threshold
18
Covered services
Internet services that publish or display their own pornographic content (not user-generated), with a UK user base or that target the UK market.
Verification methods
Gov ID, Facial estimation, Digital ID, Third party service, Transactional data
When LexLint raises it
publishes_adult_content
Read the law
official statute text, legislation.gov.uk
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.