UK fines AVS Group £1M for weak age verification — 72‑hour deadline to fix checks

Ofcom has fined adult content operator AVS Group £1 million for failing to implement sufficiently strong age checks, and slapped an additional £50,000 fine for not responding to information requests. The company now has 72 hours to introduce effective verification or face a further penalty of £1,000 per day.

The enforcement follows the UK government’s push under the Online Safety Act to require “highly effective” age verification on sites that publish or display pornographic material. Ofcom lists approved methods such as credit‑card checks, photo ID matching and age estimation from a selfie.

Why regulators acted

• Protecting minors: Regulators say robust checks are needed to prevent children from accessing explicit material.
• Compliance gaps: Ofcom found AVS Group’s measures insufficient and unresponsive to information requests, prompting the large fine.
• Deterrence: The penalty and tight deadline signal that Ofcom will use its full powers to enforce the Online Safety Act.

Workarounds and risks

Enforcement faces practical challenges. Users have bypassed checks using VPNs or even fake, AI‑generated photo IDs. That has pushed regulators to consider both technical requirements and how to stop circumvention without creating excessive friction or privacy harms for legitimate users.

Global context

The UK is not alone: about half of US states now require age checks for adult sites, and countries including France, Italy, Australia and China have implemented similar rules. Australia has gone further by banning social media access for under‑16s on some platforms. Earlier fines under the Online Safety Act include a £20,000 penalty for 4chan over information‑request noncompliance.

Ofcom’s safety director, Oliver Griffiths, said the regulator will continue to crack down on weak age verification: “The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better. But we need to see much more from tech companies next year and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short.”

What to watch next

• Whether AVS Group complies within 72 hours or faces the daily sanction.
• How Ofcom updates guidance and technical standards to reduce circumvention (VPNs, fake IDs).
• Industry response: whether other adult sites accelerate stronger checks or push back on privacy and implementation costs.

For official guidance see Ofcom and the UK government Online Safety Act pages. Media coverage of the fine provides additional reporting and context.

Discussion: Do you support strict age verification for adult sites even if it means sharing more personal data — or are the privacy and circumvention risks too high? What balance should regulators strike?