2026-02-13 15:09:50

Ofcom has fined the porn company Kick Online Entertainment SA £800,000 after it failed to introduce sufficient age verification measures.

The media regulator explained that the firm did not have “highly effective” methods of checking that UK users were over the age of 18.

Ofcom said that Kick Online Entertainment had since brought in age checks, but was being fined for failing to comply with the law between July and December 2025.

Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, explained that it was “non-negotiable” for adult sites to have effective age checks in place to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.

She added: “Any company that fails to meet this duty – or engage with us – can expect to face robust enforcement action, including significant fines.”

Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, the regulator is able fine companies 10 per cent of their turnover or apply for a court order to block a site in the country.

Ofcom said that Kick Online Entertainment failed to introduce age checks for the porn sites it operates as required between 25 July and 29 December last year.

It also fined the company £30,000 for not responding to information requests and will impose a £200 daily penalty until it receives an answer.

Ofcom started investigating the company last July after it discovered that 34 adult sites had not introduced age checks.

The regulator focused on Kick Online Entertainment because of the amount of users it had.

Meanwhile, the message board 4chan will be fined £520,000 for failing to comply with Online Safety Law, but its lawyer says the company will not pay.

Ofcom has given the site 10 working days to respond to its provisional notice that the site had breached the rules, including on age checks and a risk assessment of illegal content on the site.

4chan’s lawyer Preston Byrne told BBC News that the regulator is “proposing to impose a £520,000 fine”, although this is yet to be publicly confirmed.

The message board previously refused to pay a £20,000 fine it was hit with last year as part of an investigation into its compliance with online regulation.

Byrne added: “My client has broken no law in the only jurisdiction that matters here – the United States.”

An Ofcom spokesperson explained that “in any industry, companies that want to provide a service to people in the UK must comply with UK laws”.

They said: “The UK’s Online Safety Act is concerned with protecting people in the UK.”

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