Overview

• Ofcom has opened formal investigations into four companies operating 34 adult content sites to assess compliance with the Online Safety Act’s age-verification requirements.
• Firms found in breach face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover and possible court orders to block or disrupt non-compliant platforms.
• Major sites such as Pornhub now mandate biometric checks, government ID or credit-card verification to confirm user age before granting access.
• Users have turned to VPNs in large numbers, with one provider reporting an 1,800% rise in UK downloads since enforcement began.
• Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has defended the measures as vital to protecting minors, while Nigel Farage and Reform UK vow to repeal the act over free-speech, privacy concerns.