Ofcom fines Kick, threatens 4chan as OSA enforcement steadily dials up

UK regulator Ofcom has faced criticism for being too slow and lenient with its power to enforce the Online Safety Act (OSA) and its requirements for online age checks, but some seven months since the law came into effect, it continues to steadily issue fines for noncompliance.

This week, Ofcom slapped a fine of £800,000 (roughly $1.1 million) on Kick Online Entertainment SA, for “failing to put in place age checks to protect children from pornographic content,” per a release.

“Within days of this duty coming into force in July 2025, Ofcom launched investigations into the providers of dozens of adult sites, including Kick Online Entertainment SA,” it says. The investigation “is in relation to the adult site www.motherless.com.”

The £800,000 fine is for failing to comply with these age check requirements between the July 25 deadline and the end of 2025. Ofcom says that in response, “the company has since implemented a method of age assurance that is capable of being highly effective.”

But, per Ofcom’s rules, “if a provider fails to pay a fine, Ofcom is entitled to seek recovery of those penalties.” So, fixed or no, the violation stands.

Moreover, says Ofcom, don’t ignore us. For failing to abide by information gathering requirements, the regulator has fined Kick an additional £30,000 (about $41,000) and “will impose a daily penalty of £200 ($273) on the company until they respond, or for a period of 60 days, whichever is sooner.”

Regulatory body cracks the whip on naughty porn providers

Suzanne Cater, director of enforcement at Ofcom, says “having highly effective age checks on adult sites to protect children from pornographic content is non-negotiable. Any company that fails to meet this duty – or engage with us – can expect to face robust enforcement action, including significant fines.”

More action is already in progress. Ofcom has issued “provisional decisions that Youngtek Solutions, 4chan and Im.ge have failed to comply with duties under the Online Safety Act. All three providers now have an opportunity to make representations to us before we make our final decisions.”

In the case of 4chan Community Support LLC., which has taken a pointedly hostile stance against UK online safety laws, Ofcom says “there are reasonable grounds for believing the provider has contravened its duties under section 9, 10 and 12 of the Act.” The company, which runs the 4chan message board, now has 10 working days to make representations to Ofcom before the regulator comes to a final decision.

To Youngtek Solutions Ltd, which owns a network of adult content sites, Ofcom has issued a notice saying it has “reasonable grounds to believe that Youngtek Solutions Ltd has failed to comply with its duty to use highly effective age assurance to ensure that children are prevented from encountering pornographic content.”

“Additionally, we have expanded the scope of our ongoing investigations into four other porn companies – which collectively run 20 adult sites – to consider whether they have failed to adequately respond to our legally binding information requests.” Fapello, Porntrex, XXBrits and Sun Social Media are all facing increased regulatory scrutiny.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Ofcom  |  Online Safety Act  |  regulation  |  UK age verification