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Strict Age Checks for Porn and High-Risk Platforms Kick In as UK Prepares Youth Social Media Limits

Ofcom’s stringent age-verification rules take effect Friday with fines or blocking orders for defaulters, paving the way for under-16 social media restrictions.

Children will be restricted from accessing material such as pornography and content referencing self-harm, suicide, hate speech, and violence (Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
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Overview

  • From July 25, “risky” sites and apps must use “highly effective” age verification—such as facial age estimation, credit-card checks, photo-ID matching or digital ID wallets—to block under-18s from pornography and other harmful content or face fines up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover and UK blocking orders.
  • Ofcom’s children’s codes require platforms to filter out content that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence, offer straightforward reporting tools and submit risk assessments by early autumn.
  • Major providers including Pornhub, Meta, TikTok, Reddit and X have committed to comply with the new rules or risk enforcement action under the Online Safety Act.
  • Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has insisted every under-13 user be barred from social media and is set to formalise proposals for two-hour daily limits plus night-time and school-time curfews for under-16s.
  • Campaigners led by crossbench peer Beeban Kidron are urging ministers to use the Act’s powers to “detoxify dopamine loops” by curbing addictive features on platforms used by children.