UK's Ofcom imposes first £1mn Online Safety Act fine against porn site provider

The fines come as the regulator reports on how the online safety landscape is changing, following new UK laws coming into effect this year.

Porn provider fined for not having robust age checks

Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, sites that host pornographic material must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from readily accessing that content, the watchdog said in a statement.

Within days of this duty coming into force in July, Ofcom launched investigations into the providers of dozens of adult sites, including AVS Group Ltd.

With millions of monthly UK visitors, these websites were prioritised based on their user numbers and the risk of harm they posed.

While AVS has implemented what it refers to as age verification, we do not consider it to be highly effective, and have fined the company £1,000,000. AVS must now implement highly effective age assurance within 72 hours of today’s decision, or face a daily penalty of £1,000 per day.

The watchdog said it will continue to investigate other services’ compliance with age check requirements and will take action where necessary.

It has fined AVS £50,000 for failing to respond to our legally binding information request.

The watchdog said it will impose a daily penalty on the company of £300 per day, until it responds or for 60 days, whichever is sooner.

What’s changing under new online safety rules

For more than two decades, online platforms have been unregulated, unaccountable and often unwilling to prioritise people’s safety over profits. Illegal content duties under the Act came into force in March, and children’s safety duties came into force in July.

New Ofcom research, published showed that 58% of parents believe the measures in the codes of practice are already improving the safety of UK children online; 67% feel the measures will make a difference in the future; and 36% have noticed a potential impact on their child’s online activity.

Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director, said: “The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better. This year has seen important changes for people, with new measures across many sites and apps now better protecting children from harmful content. But we need to see much more from tech companies next year and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short.”

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Since the enforcement of the Online Safety Act, platforms have finally started taking responsibility for protecting children and removing illegal and hateful content. Ofcom has the government’s full backing to use all its powers to ensure that services put users’ safety first. Keeping children safe online is this government’s and my personal priority.”

Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said: “The threats children face online evolve and escalate at a rate that sometimes outstrips regulation. As Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act, we are starting to see the UK living up to its ambition to be the safest place in the world to be online.

“This crucial legislation is already making a difference. Children and young people deserve an internet where they can play, socialise, learn, and be themselves online without the fear of grooming, coercion, sexual abuse, and exposure to sexual imagery.

“We strongly believe there should be no safe spaces online for predators to hide. So while we welcome the steps taken by Ofcom so far, there is much more to do, and we look forward to working together to ensure children are given the safety they need.”

Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said: “All children deserve safe and positive experiences online. We welcome the progress Ofcom is making to ensure their codes of practice result in safer platforms and their drive to target clear cases of non-compliance. 

“However, there is much still to do. In 2026 Ofcom must act with ambition as they implement and enforce the regulation, putting meaningful change for children at the heart of decision making. All services must be pushed to put safety before profit and deliver platforms which are genuinely safe. Only then can we ensure no child is exposed to preventable harm online.”

Helen Rance, Deputy Director CSA Threat at the National Crime Agency said: “As our lives - and particularly children’s lives - increasingly move online, ensuring that platforms protect both children and adults is more essential than ever. We estimate that around three-quarters of a million UK-based adults pose varying degrees of sexual threat to children, and online services provide far too many opportunities for them to engage with young people and with each other.

“Each month, industry reports contribute significantly to coordinated action by the NCA and UK policing, resulting in approximately 1,000 arrests and 1,200 children being safeguarded. But we all need to do more to reverse the rise in offending. We will continue to work closely with Ofcom and online platforms to drive stronger protections, close down opportunities for offenders, and make the online world safer for children.”