United Kingdom: Office of Communications released guidance on placement of age checks on pornography sites

On 14 January 2026, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) released guidance on the placement of age checks on pornography sites to ensure compliance with the Online Safety Act. The guidance notes that, since 25 July 2025, all services providing access to pornography must implement highly effective age verification for users. It identifies four placement models used by services: front gate, blur gate, image gate, and in-video gate. Ofcom clarified that age assurance must be applied at the point of entry or in a manner that prevents any pornographic content from being visible before the check is completed. The front gate approach is identified as the compliant standard for both user-generated content and provider-published material.