UK Platforms Begin Age-Verification Pilots Ahead of Online Safety Act Enforcement

Preparations are underway in the United Kingdom for the rollout of strict age-verification duties for online pornography platforms, as part of the country’s Online Safety Act. While enforcement is not expected until mid-2026, several major websites and apps have begun piloting age-verification systems in anticipation of the new rules. Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has published a roadmap and intends to release draft guidance later in 2025, followed by final regulations subject to Parliamentary approval.

Platforms Begin Pilots Ahead of Enforcement

On July 8, 2025, Reddit launched a voluntary pilot requiring UK users who wish to access NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content to verify their age using an ID document via the identity platform Yoti. This pilot is not a legal obligation under the Act but reflects industry efforts to prepare for the upcoming regulatory framework. Similarly, Discord has been piloting facial age-estimation since April 2025 using Yoti’s Face-Age technology. Bluesky announced plans to introduce age-assurance measures later this year. X (formerly Twitter) has not launched a system but posted job listings in early 2025 indicating interest in building an age-verification feature.

These early initiatives coincide with increasing regulatory scrutiny. According to Ofcom’s Children and Parents: Media Use & Attitudes report from April 2024, eight percent of UK children aged 8 to 17 visited pornography websites in the previous month. The regulator has stressed the importance of effective protections, especially for younger internet users.

Legal Framework and Industry Response

The Online Safety Act, which received Royal Assent in October 2023, requires services that publish or host pornographic content accessible in the UK to prevent children from viewing it. Under the law, Ofcom is responsible for enforcing compliance. The draft code of practice, expected in late 2025, will outline acceptable age-assurance technologies, including biometric facial age estimation, ID document verification, and third-party age-assurance providers. These methods are listed in the draft but remain subject to consultation.

“Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren’t suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling,” said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s group director of online safety, in a July 2025 press release. “But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. Now, change is happening.”

While some industry players have welcomed the direction of regulation, implementation timelines remain cautious. Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, stated on July 18, 2025, that it “welcomes Ofcom’s framework” but will wait to review the final version before deciding on UK deployment.

Under the Act, non-compliant websites could face fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover or service-blocking orders. Ofcom says it will assess both effectiveness and privacy protections when evaluating services. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the use and storage of biometric data, but Ofcom maintains that safeguarding adult users’ data remains a central consideration.

Sources:  Identityweek

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By Ali Nassar-Smith