Category: Cyber Security | Published: 2025-07-29
Why Is This Happening Now?
The UK’s Online Safety Act, passed in 2023, was designed to better protect children online, and one of its most high-profile provisions is now coming into force. For example, from 25 July, commercial pornography providers must implement _“robust”_ age checks to stop minors from viewing explicit content. Media regulator Ofcom will oversee enforcement, and companies that don’t comply risk fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of global turnover.
Years of Warnings
The change comes after years of warnings about the ease with which children can currently access adult material. For example, a 2023 study commissioned by the UK government found that two-thirds of children aged 13–17 had seen online pornography, with many accessing it accidentally from mainstream sites. Until now, many porn sites only required users to click a box confirming they were over 18, a system Ofcom now calls _“clearly insufficient”._