How to Comply with the Online Safety Act
The “Are you over 18?” pop-ups commonly used on adult websites are now a thing of the past…
As of July 2025, thanks to the Online Safety Act, UK law now requires all pornographic websites to implement highly effective age assurance measures. Anything less, and you risk heavy fines, content takedown orders, or even total site blocks.
So, what are your options? And how do you stay compliant without ruining the user experience? In this blog, we’ll break down the age verification methods approved by Ofcom, explain why older solutions are now banned, and introduce a new membership-based system designed to future-proof your site and boost your bottom line.
Need help building a compliant site? Check out our adult web design services.
Contents:
- Why Most Age Checks No Longer Count
- How to Make Your Adult Website Compliant
- Ofcom-Approved Age Verification Methods
- Introducing Our CMS Membership System
- What are the New System’s Standout Features?
Why Most Age Checks No Longer Count
Under the Online Safety Act, adult sites must now use “highly effective” age checks to keep under-18s out. Ofcom has made it clear: the old ways just don’t cut it anymore.
The following are no longer considered valid:
- “Are you over 18?” tickboxes or pop-ups
- General disclaimers in your terms and conditions
- Online payments that don’t require the user to be 18+ (debit cards, etc.)
Why? Because all of these can be easily bypassed. And if a child can still access your site using that method, then it’s not compliant, no matter how common it used to be.
Ofcom puts it simply: “Weaker checks won’t be enough.” From now on, platforms must prove that their age checks are reliable, hard to get around, and built into the user journey. That doesn’t mean collecting loads of data, but it does mean your system needs to work.
To learn more, read our blog on what the new Online Safety laws mean for your business.
How to Make Your Adult Website Compliant
Getting your age checks right is only part of the picture. Before any of that, the Online Safety Act requires you to conduct a formal risk assessment.
Why Carry Out a Risk Assessment?
This is your first legal duty… your chance to review how people use your site, what could go wrong, and how you’ll reduce the risks. Ofcom expects you to do this even if you’re a small business.
🚨 We’ve issued formal info requests to a number of online services, who must submit records of their children’s risk assessments by 7 August, or face enforcement action.
Understanding risk is key to keeping children safer online.
👉 https://t.co/XNt60V67G0 pic.twitter.com/uLHb1jIgU4
— Ofcom (@Ofcom) July 9, 2025
What your risk assessment should cover:
- What types of content you host (e.g. videos, ads, live streams, user uploads)
- What risks exist – such as underage access, illegal uploads, or harmful content
- Who’s at risk and how they might access or be exposed to that harm
- What protections you already have in place (e.g. age gates, blurring, moderation)
- What improvements you’ll make to close any gaps
Your Compliance Checklist:
Once you’ve assessed the risks, here’s what you need to do to stay compliant:
- Audit your age verification: Still using pop-ups or debit card “checks”? These no longer qualify. Choose an Ofcom-approved method that works for your site.
- Blur or gate explicit content: No unblurred nudity before age verification. Tag content as NSFW and restrict access until checks are complete.
- Set up a clear complaints process: Users should be able to report illegal content directly, with a system in place to review and remove anything that breaches your terms or UK law.
- Publish clear T&Cs: Your terms of service should be easy to find and written in plain English. Ofcom explicitly expects this.
- Appoint a compliance contact: Ofcom expects a named person to be reachable in case they need to investigate or ask questions about your platform.
- Update your privacy policy: Explain how you verify age, what data you collect (if any), and how it’s stored or anonymised.
- Review regularly: Compliance isn’t a one-off task. Monitor risks, keep verification logs, and stay updated on any changes from Ofcom.
Even if you don’t operate a massive platform, the law still applies. Age assurance isn’t optional anymore, and leaving it until “later” could mean takedown notices or ISP blocks when you least expect them.
Ofcom-Approved Age Verification Methods
If you’re running a porn site, escort platform, fan site, or clip store with UK traffic, these are the tools Ofcom currently supports:
- Photo ID upload and facial recognition – Users upload a selfie alongside a valid ID (e.g. passport or driver’s license) which is matched using facial analysis.
- AI age estimation – Users take a selfie, and AI software estimates their age using facial features. No ID or data storage is required.
- Credit card verification – Since UK credit cards are 18+ products, they can be used for age checks (debit cards are not accepted).
- Mobile provider verification – Some mobile networks verify age to enable adult content. This can be used to verify access on your site.
- Open banking age checks – Bank systems can confirm if a user is over 18 without revealing exact DOB or personal details.
These verification methods are designed to be legally defensible and technologically robust. However, they can also be intimidating for casual users, especially if implemented too early in the journey. That’s where our new membership system comes in.
Introducing Our CMS Membership System
To solve this problem, Adult Creative is launching a built-in membership system for all new adult CMS builds. It’s designed to protect your users and your business, while giving you smarter tools for marketing, engagement, and monetisation.
How It Works
- Users sign up as “members” before accessing explicit content
- Age is verified using one of the approved Ofcom methods
- Content marked as NSFW remains blurred to non-members
This lets visitors browse the site safely and choose when to verify, without exposing explicit content to minors or risking non-compliance. You don’t have to pick between hiding your site completely or losing visitors on the homepage.
Want to be first in line? Register your interest now to secure your development slot.
What are the New System’s Standout Features?
It’s more than just an age gate… in fact, we’d go as far as calling it a complete marketing engine! Our new membership system includes tools that give you more control over user experience, customer engagement, and revenue growth.
Customer Tagging
Track user behaviour directly in your CMS. Want to re-engage members who haven’t booked in 6 months? Or offer a VIP discount to your biggest spenders? Now you can. Tag users based on actions, frequency, preferences, or spend, and personalise your email/SMS comms with just a few clicks.
Wishlists & Favourites
Members can save their favourite girls, galleries, or videos and return to them anytime they log in. Behind the scenes, you’ll be collecting behavioural insights. This will allow you to trigger personalised suggestions, discounts, or new model alerts based on their tastes.
Tiered Membership
Introduce platinum, gold, or silver memberships with exclusive perks. Whether it’s early access to new girls, private content drops, or premium galleries, you can reward loyalty and increase revenue through monthly or annual membership upgrades.
Smarter Marketing, Built In
Because your users are verified members, you can now build GDPR-compliant subscriber lists. Easily automate newsletters, personalised nudges, and promotional offers, all linked to the behaviours and preferences of each user.
This transforms your site from a passive gallery into an active marketing ecosystem… one that’s fully compliant, privacy-first, and designed for serious ROI.
Want to supercharge your site even further? From great value templates to exclusive add-ons, you’ll find everything in our Adult Store—built for adult businesses that mean business.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Platform
While the Online Safety Act may have started as a legal headache, it’s quickly becoming one of the biggest growth opportunities in the adult space.
By verifying users and protecting your platform, you’ll unlock smarter targeting, stronger loyalty, and more reliable revenue streams, all while staying on the right side of the law.
