Ofcom has launched investigations into five companies that collectively run at least 22 pornography sites for potential failures to implement “highly effective age assurance” as required by the new Online Safety Act. The sites were prioritized based on the risk of harm they pose and their user numbers, which have seen a significant increase since the July 25 deadline. The 22 porn sites, together, have over 8 million unique monthly UK visitors and don’t yet ask users to prove their age, which is against the rules of the Online Safety Act, which came into force on July 25.
The Online Safety Act mandates age checks to prevent children in the UK from accessing pornographic content. While the top 10 most-visited sites have introduced age checks, these 22 sites have not. The investigations add to 47 other sites and apps Ofcom is already looking into for similar issues. Ofcom said that it got its traffic figures for these websites from SimilarWeb’s July 2025 data.
Ofcom is expanding the scope of its existing investigations into two other companies, 8579 LLC and Itai Tech, it said. These companies are now also being investigated for failing to respond adequately to statutory information requests from Ofcom. The next steps include gathering evidence and issuing provisional notices of contravention.
While the companies will have to implement some sort of age check, the regulator is allowing the providers to make representations before any final decisions are made. Doing so could help them to lower any fines, potentially.
Ofcom’s enforcement powers for compliance failures can include fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In the most serious cases, Ofcom can seek a court order for business disruption measures which could include requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw services, or require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to offending websites.