Ofcom Issues £1 Million Fine to AVS Group Over Inadequate Age Verification

Historic Fine Under the Online Safety Act

Ofcom has fined AVS Group Ltd – which runs 18 adult websites – £1 million for not having robust age checks in place, plus £50,000 for failing to respond to information requests. This enforcement action represents one of the most significant penalties issued under the UK’s groundbreaking Online Safety Act, which came into force earlier this year with a mission to protect children from harmful online content.

Why This Matters for Online Safety

The fine underscores the UK government’s commitment to making the internet safer for children. Section 12 imposes a duty on providers of services that fall under Part 3 of the Act, and allow pornographic content, to ensure that children are prevented from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance. The regulator determined that from 25 July 2025 until at least 25 November 2025, each of the AVS Group websites either implemented measures that were not highly effective at determining whether a user was a child, particularly AVS Group Ltd deployed a photo upload check on its services that does not include liveness detection and as such is vulnerable to circumvention by children.

Escalating Penalties and Enforcement

Ofcom will impose a daily penalty on the company of £300 per day, starting from tomorrow, until it responds or for 60 days, whichever is sooner. Additionally, should AVS Group Ltd fail to comply with this requirement, a daily rate penalty of £1,000 per day will be imposed starting from 6 December 2025 until the section 12 duty is complied with or 16 March 2026, whichever is sooner.

Progress and Future Implications

Despite ongoing challenges, progress is being made across the industry. New Ofcom research shows that 58% of parents believe the measures in codes of practice are already improving the safety of UK children online, and 67% feel the measures will make a difference in the future. Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director, noted that “The tide on online safety is beginning to turn,” but warned that much more is needed from tech companies.

This case signals to other online platforms that Ofcom will use its full enforcement powers to ensure compliance with child safety requirements. The regulator continues to investigate other services’ compliance with age verification requirements, marking a new era of accountability for online safety in the UK.