Age verification to be required on any website internet hosting…

They’re some of the most popular porn websites in the world. 

But both Pornhub and OnlyFans will soon be forced to ID users in the UK before allowing them to access their content.  

Any websites which host pornography must introduce ‘robust’ age checks to prevent children being exposed to it, Ofcom has said.

The regulator has set a hard deadline of July 2025 for the sites to introduce these age checks. 

‘For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services,’ said Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive. 

‘Either they don’t ask or, when they do, the checks are minimal and easy to avoid. 

‘That means companies have effectively been treating all users as if they’re adults, leaving children potentially exposed to porn and other types of harmful content.

‘Today, this starts to change.’

Any websites which host pornography must introduce ‘robust’ age checks to prevent children being exposed to it, the regulator said

The regulator has set a hard deadline of July 2025 for the sites to introduce these age checks (stock image)

The new details are included in the latest round of industry guidance, ahead of the enforcement of the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom’s guidance said services which allow pornography or other adult content will be required to introduce age assurance tools to prove a user is not a child. 

Examples of age verification tools include photo ID matching, facial age estimation or credit card checks. 

Under the Online Safety Act, all social media and search services are required to carry out a children’s access assessment to determine if their site is likely to be accessed by children, with Ofcom saying platforms have until April 16 to complete this.

Ofcom said it will then publish codes of practice for sites which are likely to be accessed by children, which will set out how they can implement measures to keep younger users safe. 

Sites must then complete a children’s risk assessment by July and implement any required measures, which may include age checks.

These checks will be required, regardless of the type of site, if it allows pornography.

‘As age checks start to roll out in the coming months, adults will start to notice a difference in how they access certain online services,’ Dame Melanie said.

Under the Online Safety Act, all social media and search services are required to carry out a children’s access assessment to determine if their site is likely to be accessed by children, with Ofcom saying platforms have until April 16 to complete this

‘Services which host their own pornography must start to introduce age checks immediately, while other user-to-user services – including social media – which allow pornography and certain other types of content harmful to children will have to follow suit by July at the latest.

‘We’ll be monitoring the response from industry closely. 

‘Those companies that fail to meet these new requirements can expect to face enforcement action from Ofcom.’

Experts have described the news as a ‘pivotal moment in the fight to make the internet a safer place.’

Lina Ghazal, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs at Verifymy, said: ‘Ofcom’s announcement today is a pivotal moment in the fight to make the internet a safer place, particularly for children.

‘The regulator’s long-awaited guidance on age assurance means adult content providers now have the clarity they need to get their houses in order and put in place robust and reliable methods to keep explicit material well away from underage users.’