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UK age checks online: the Online Safety Act explained
In short: Under the UK Online Safety Act, sites that allow pornography and the riskiest platforms must use "highly effective" age checks to stop children seeing harmful content, enforced by the regulator Ofcom from July 2025. Accepted methods include facial age estimation, photo ID matching and bank or mobile operator checks. Ticking a box saying you are over 18 no longer counts.
What the law is trying to do
The UK's Online Safety Act places duties on online services to protect users, especially children, from illegal and harmful content. The regulator, Ofcom, writes codes of practice and can fine companies that do not comply. One of the most visible changes for everyday users is age assurance: checking whether someone is an adult before letting them see certain content.
The key dates
- 17 January 2025: services that publish their own pornographic content had to start using effective age checks.
- 25 July 2025: user-to-user and search services likely to be used by children had to act on Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes. Services that allow pornography, and the riskiest platforms, are expected to use highly effective age checks.
How the checks work
Ofcom lists methods it considers capable of being highly effective:
- Facial age estimation: a selfie is analysed to estimate your age, usually without identifying you.
- Photo ID matching: you upload ID and a selfie to show they match.
- Open banking: your bank confirms you are over 18 without sharing other details.
- Mobile network operator checks and credit card checks.
- Digital identity services and email-based age estimation.
Methods that do not count include simply declaring your age, debit card checks and terms of service that say children are not allowed.
What about privacy?
Every age check handles personal information, which worries many people. Ofcom says services must meet both online safety and data protection law, and points them to guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office. Good providers check age without keeping your images or ID longer than needed, and some only pass on a yes or no answer. Before you go through a check, look for who is doing it and what they keep. Our explainer EU Digital Identity Wallet describes a similar "share only what is needed" idea.
Tip: Be wary of pop-ups or messages asking you to "verify your age" by sending ID through an unfamiliar link. Criminals copy these screens. Only complete checks on the site you intended to visit.
The debate
Supporters say the checks are a long-overdue way to stop children stumbling on harmful material. Critics worry about privacy, about adults being shut out of legitimate content and about people using VPNs or less careful sites to avoid checks. Use of VPN apps in the UK rose sharply after July 2025. Both sides agree that age checks are only one part of keeping children safe.
What parents can do
- Use the parental controls on devices, apps and your broadband. See Protecting kids online.
- Talk regularly with your children about what they see online and make sure they know they can come to you.
- Remember that age checks do not cover everything, such as messages from strangers or harmful content shared privately.
Key takeaways
- The Online Safety Act requires many services to protect children from harmful content.
- Since July 2025, adult sites and the riskiest platforms must use highly effective age checks.
- Facial age estimation, photo ID, open banking and mobile checks count; ticking a box does not.
- Check who runs an age check and what they keep, and use parental controls alongside it.
Sources and further reading
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