6 websites which now require UK age checks after Online Safety Act - that you probably won't expect
The Online Safety Act has introduced new rules for using the internet in the UK 🚨
- The Online Safety Act has introduced age-verification rules.
- Popular websites that you may not expect now have ID checks.
- But how does the check work?
The way Brits surf the internet has undergone a seismic shift as the Online Safety Act comes into force. Web users now face having to prove their age when visiting sites with adult content.
First passed into law back in 2023, the bill started to take effect on Friday (July 25) and has already caused some huge changes. Prompts to pass an age-check have been introduced - and not only on major pornography websites.
Popular apps and sites have started to enforce the regulations, including some you may not have expected. Here’s all you need to know:
Which websites require age verification now?
If you live in the UK, you may have noticed from Friday (July 25) that websites and apps you frequent might have started asking you to prove your age. New rules from the Online Safety Act have come into force, and it includes requiring ID verification for websites that contain pornography or other harmful content.
However, while you may have anticipated the age checks being introduced on big-name porn sites, there are other popular websites or apps affected that might have caught you by surprise. Here are some of the sites that have introduced the new rules:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Discord
- Bluesky
- Grindr
- Pornhub - and other pornography websites
BBC News reports that age verification checks on Reddit have been introduced across a wide range of subreddits - such as ones involving alcohol, as well as those dedicated to NSFW content.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told BBC Newsbeat: “We're very used to proving our age in lots of different areas of life at the moment, and it makes sense that we do so more assertively when it comes to online activity.
"I think people actually think it's pretty weird that you are age checked when you want to buy a can of Monster, but you're not age checked when you access certain material online."
Speaking to the Beeb, Reed Amber Thomas-Litman, a sex worker and educator, warned that the age checks could negatively impact people who don’t feel confident sharing their identity, such as those in the LGBTQ+ community.
She explained: “If you have to hand over your ID, that means you have no protection for where that information is going. It could go to third-party companies, and who knows what they'll do with that information."
How does age verification work?
Ahead of the introduction of the new rules, under the Online Safety Act, last week Ofcom explained how the system would work. The regulator explains: “When you visit a site or app that allows pornography, you shouldn’t be able to see this content before you’re asked to confirm your age.
“To make the experience more accessible and transparent, you should be able to read a statement setting out the kinds of age checks that you can use, and how they work.”
Internet users in the UK can use the following methods to prove their age, Ofcom has said.
- Facial age estimation – you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age.
- Open banking – you give permission for the age-check service to securely access information from your bank about whether you are over 18. The age-check service then confirms this with the site or app.
- Digital identity services – these include digital identity wallets, which can securely store and share information which proves your age in a digital format.
- Credit card age checks – you provide your credit card details and a payment processor checks if the card is valid. As you must be over 18 to obtain a credit card this shows you are over 18.
- Email-based age estimation – you provide your email address, and technology analyses other online services where it has been used – such as banking or utility providers - to estimate your age.
- Mobile network operator age checks – you give your permission for an age-check service to confirm whether or not your mobile phone number has age filters applied to it. If there are no restrictions, this confirms you are over 18.
- Photo-ID matching – this is similar to a check when you show a document. For example, you upload an image of a document that shows your face and age, and an image of yourself at the same time – these are compared to confirm if the document is yours.
The exact method of age-checking may vary depending on the website or app. Reddit, for example, uses the Persona service, The Verge reports.
Savvy internet users have already found ways around the checks, including using images of actor Norman Reedus from the video game Death Stranding - instead of their own faces. Demand for VPNs is also said to have ‘skyrocketed’ as it allows people to circumvent the rules by making it appear that they are using the internet outside the UK.
In a bid to assuage concerns about privacy and security of information, Ofcom said: “Strong age checks can be done effectively, safely, and in a way that protects your privacy. As with everything you do online, you should exercise a degree of caution and judgment when giving over personal information.
“Data protection in the UK is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We work closely with the ICO and where we have concerns that a provider has not complied with data protection law, we may refer the matter to the ICO.
“In the UK, people are familiar with having to prove their age in the offline world to buy age-restricted goods like alcohol and tobacco. Age checks to access online pornography are just the same.
“It will help stop children from encountering pornography online, in the same way that a child should not be able to simply walk into a shop and buy a pornographic DVD or magazine.”
Find out what happens next as a petition to repeal the Online Safety Act passes 300,000 signatures. See why UK users could face a cap on visiting Wikipedia under the rules.