Porn company AVS Group starts age checks after £1m fine

A major pornography company has begun implementing more robust age checks on its websites following a £1 million fine from the UK media regulator, Ofcom.

The fine, announced on December 4th, was levied against AVS Group Ltd, which operates numerous adult websites. Ofcom penalized the company for failing to put in place “highly effective age assurance” methods required by the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA).

An Ofcom spokesperson confirmed that AVS has since introduced a new age assurance method on some platforms. The new system is described as being “capable of being highly effective at correctly determining whether or not a user is a child.”

AVS Group, which is registered at an address in Belize, was also hit with an additional £50,000 fine for failing to respond to Ofcom’s legally binding information requests during the investigation.

Despite the recent changes, Ofcom warned that AVS could still face further penalties. The firm risks daily fines of £1,000 until the regulator is “satisfied” that the new robust age checks are implemented across all of its platforms.

The introduction of stricter age checks for pornographic websites began in July 2025. However, the requirement has led to a significant secondary effect: a report found that VPN usage more than doubled among UK users after the age check rules came into force, as individuals sought to bypass the new restrictions.

Ofcom has opened investigations into more than 90 online services, including 83 pornography sites, signalling that further enforcement action and fines are likely as the regulator continues to enforce the provisions of the Online Safety Act.