Ofcom Releases Report on Age Assurance Implementation
Ofcom has published its first Use of Age Assurance Report 2026, assessing how online services are implementing age checks to protect children under the Online Safety Act.
The report, based on evidence from the first six months following the start of child protection duties in July 2025, focuses on the pornography, social media, and online dating sectors. It examines the impact of age assurance on children’s online experiences and identifies areas needing improvement.
Ofcom notes that when implemented properly, highly effective age checks can work. The report will inform upcoming discussions on social media restrictions for under-16s. The UK government announced plans in June 2026 to require social media services to use highly effective age assurance to prevent under-16 access. Ofcom will deliver a rapid assessment to Parliament by the end of October on how such checks could function in practice.
The report highlights several key points relevant to age restrictions:
- No single age assurance method eliminates circumvention risk. Layered protections across the system, including from app stores, operating systems, and devices, are recommended.
- Some techniques like credit card checks are not suitable for 16- and 17-year-olds. Alternative methods will be needed.
- Age inference has been ruled out as highly effective for preventing child access, particularly for porn sites, as it requires prior user activity to make determinations.
Ofcom is calling on services to take immediate action:
- Pornography services without age checks should introduce highly effective age assurance without delay.
- Search engines like Google and Bing have agreed to explore solutions for discoverability of unprotected porn services. Ofcom encourages broader industry cooperation.
- Services using age inference should switch to other highly effective methods or provide compelling evidence of effectiveness.
- Services with age assurance must ensure it meets Ofcom’s guidance on highly effective age assurance (HEAA), conduct regular vendor due diligence, and comply with privacy obligations.
The regulator has identified three main areas for improvement and urges services to review their processes urgently. Enforcement action remains a priority, particularly for high-risk porn sites.
