British porn company fined £1M for failing to comply with Online Safety Act
The Office of Communications (Ofcom), the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications, and postal supervisor in the United Kingdom, has imposed a £1 million fine on AVS Group Ltd for not having “robust age checks” in place.
On top of that, the company, which runs 18 adult websites, has to pay an additional £50,000 for failing to respond to a formal information request.
On July 25th, 2025, the Online Safety Act went into effect in the UK. The legislation is designed to prevent minors from accessing websites that contain pornographic material and other harmful content, such as information regarding self-mutilation, eating disorders, or suicide.
The new legislation requires website owners and app developers to implement age verification systems and controls to check the age of their users. Platforms that refuse to comply face penalties of up to £18 million, or 10 percent of their annual global turnover – whichever is greater.
Shortly after the Online Safety Act went into effect, the British media regulator launched investigations into four companies, which collectively run 34 pornographic sites, to see whether they complied with the country’s new age-check requirements, including AVS Group.
According to Ofcom, AVS Group doesn’t meet the requirement.
“While AVS has implemented what it refers to as age verification, we do not consider it to be highly effective, and have fined the company £1,000,000. AVS must now implement highly effective age assurance within 72 hours of today’s decision, or face a daily penalty of £1,000 per day,” the supervisor says in a press release.
In addition, AVS Group has to pay £50,000 for failing to respond to Ofcom’s legally binding information request. The company will have to pay an additional £300 daily penalty until it responds, up to a maximum of 60 days.
“The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better. This year has seen important changes for people, with new measures across many sites and apps now better protecting children from harmful content. But we need to see much more from tech companies next year, and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short,” Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director, said in a statement.
Days after the Online Safety Act went into effect, VPN downloads surged in the United Kingdom to bypass the new age verification legislation.