uk online safety act 2023 (enforced 2025)

The UK Online Safety Act 2023 officially went into effect on July 25 2025 and its actually one of the biggest changes to internet use in the UK.

This new law basically forces platforms (social media, porn sites, forums, messaging apps, etc.) to take stronger action against harmful content, especially when kids are able to access it. Ofcom is the regulator and they can hand out massive fines (up to 10% of a companys global revenue) or even block services alltogether in the UK if they dont comply.

The first step that was taken in July is a mandatory age verification. Websites that show porn or potentially harmful stuff like self-harm or eating disorder content now have to make sure users under 18 years old cant just click “I’m over 18.” They need to use proper systems like AI selfie checks, ID uploads, or third-party verification. Sites like X and Reddit already started testing different methods.

And its already showing its effect:

Daily visits to Pornhub, the UKs most used porn site, fell from 3.6m on 24 July, the day before age-gating was introduced, to 1.9m on 8 August, a drop of 47%.

So there are some good things about this:

• Kids will definitely have a harder time accessing harmful content.
• Platforms are forced to be more transparent and accountable.
• New criminal offenses were introduced (cyberflashing, sending flashing images to epilepsy sufferers, encouraging self-harm).
• In theory, this should push companies to design safer systems from the start instead of fixing problems later.

But there are also some bad things:

• To access parts of the internet, everyone in the UK now has to hand over sensitive data (IDs, biometrics, selfies) to those platforms or third party companies. That creates risks of leaks, abuse, surveillance or even selling your data.
• There is a “spy clause” in the law that would allow scanning your encrypted messages. Its not active yet, but if it ever is, it could break end-to-end encryption and give the state visibility into private conversations.
• Smaller websites might not survive the compliance costs and could just block UK users completely.
• VPN usage is already spiking as people bypass age checks, showing that the law is easy to work around. (I recently wrote about Mullvad VPN which is the best in my opinion)
• The definition of “harmful content” is vague, and platforms may over-block to avoid fines. That could lead to legal speech being censored by accident.

So while the Act is presented as a child-safety law, in reality it builds an infrastructure of control around everyday internet use. Its both a step towards safer systems and a step towards heavier government regulation of what normal people can access and say online.

Sources:
Online Safety Act explainer – gov.uk
The Guardian – UK porn site traffic falls after Online Safety Act age checks
Ofcom – Age checks for online safety: what you need to know