Ofcom fines porn site £730,000 over missing age checks

UK communications regulator Ofcom has fined the operator of an online pornography website £730,000 after it failed to put effective age-checking measures in place to prevent children from accessing adult content.

The regulator said the provider of xgroovy[dot]com breached its obligations under the UK’s Online Safety Act by failing to implement age assurance measures between July and November 2025.

Ofcom has issued a £700,000 fine for the failure to protect children from accessing pornography. A further £30,000 penalty was imposed after the company failed to respond to a legally binding request for information during the regulator’s investigation.

Under the Online Safety Act, websites providing pornographic material are required to use highly effective age-assurance technology to establish whether users are over 18.

Ofcom said the website operator has since introduced an age-checking system that it considers capable of meeting the required standard. However, the company has also blocked access to the website from UK IP addresses, meaning the service is no longer directly available to users in Britain.

The regulator warned that companies operating adult websites cannot ignore their legal responsibilities.

George Lusty, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said the message to adult websites was clear: companies must introduce effective age checks to prevent children from accessing pornography, while those that fail to comply or ignore legally binding information requests could face financial penalties.

Ofcom also confirmed that it will continue monitoring the former UK-facing service for compliance.

The regulator’s action forms part of a wider enforcement programme targeting online services that may expose children to harmful content. Ofcom has previously warned that pornography services must implement highly effective age assurance under the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom said the £730,000 penalty consists of a £700,000 fine for the age-checking failure and £30,000 for failing to provide information requested during the investigation. The company could also face an additional £200 daily penalty until the outstanding information is supplied, or until 3 November 2026, whichever comes first.

The latest enforcement action demonstrates that Ofcom is prepared to use its powers against online services that fail to meet the UK’s new online safety requirements, particularly where children could be exposed to adult material.