Ofcom, the United Kingdom's digital regulator, has issued significant fines to adult industry companies for failing to comply with age verification requirements under the Online Safety Act. First Time Videos (FTV) was fined £80,000, while AVS Group Ltd. received a £1 million penalty, alongside an additional £50,000 for non-compliance with information requests.

FTV Penalized for Age Verification Failures

On June 19, 2026, Ofcom announced a fine of £80,000 against First Time Videos (FTV) for not adhering to age verification requirements. This amount is equivalent to $100,000. FTV operates a network of membership websites, including FTVGirls.com and FTVMILFs.com. Ofcom had previously investigated FTV's compliance with these regulations.

According to a press statement from Ofcom, the £80,000 penalty will be paid to His Majesty's Treasury. The Online Safety Act mandates that pornographic websites implement "highly effective" age-gating measures. Non-compliance can lead to fines and potential escalation of cases.

In the same announcement confirming the fine against FTV, Ofcom stated it had notified the operator of xgroovy.com that the agency found "reasonable grounds to believe" the site failed to comply with age verification rules. Ofcom also indicated an expansion of its ongoing investigation into Sun Social Media Inc.

AVS Group Faces Substantial Fines and Daily Penalties

On December 4, 2025, Ofcom imposed a penalty of £1 million, approximately $1.3 million, on AVS Group Ltd. This followed an investigation that concluded the company failed to implement robust age checks on 18 adult websites. An additional £50,000 penalty was levied against AVS Group for not responding to information requests.

This marks the third instance of Ofcom fining a company under the UK’s Online Safety Act, which became effective in July. The Act requires sites publishing pornography to have "highly effective" age checks to prevent minors from accessing adult content.

In July, Ofcom initiated investigations into four companies operating adult websites regarding their age assurance measures, with AVS Group being one of them. In October, Ofcom updated its findings, asserting "reasonable grounds" to believe AVS Group had not complied with OSA regulations. A provisional notice was then issued, giving AVS Group 20 working days to respond.

Ofcom's update on Thursday, December 4, 2025, stated that "From 25 July 2025 until at least 25 November 2025, each of the AVS Group websites either did not implement any age assurance measures or implemented measures that were not highly effective at determining whether a user was a child." Specifically, AVS "deployed a photo upload check on its services that does not include liveness detection and as such is vulnerable to circumvention by children (for example, by uploading a photo of an adult). Ofcom considers that this method is not capable of being highly effective within the meaning of the Act."

The AVS-operated websites investigated by Ofcom include: pornzog.com, txxx.com, txxx.tube, upornia.com, hdzog.com, hdzog.tube, thegay.com, thegay.tube, ooxxx.com, hotmovs.com, hclips.com, vjav.com, pornl.com, voyeurhit.com, manysex.com, and tubeporn. AVS Group now has 72 hours to implement age assurance measures deemed effective by the regulator, or face a daily penalty of £1,000. This is in addition to an existing £300 daily fine for non-compliance with information requests, for a maximum of 60 days.

Broader Enforcement and Industry Impact

Ofcom has opened investigations into 92 online services since the new rules were introduced in July. These investigations target sites with millions of monthly UK visitors, focusing on the potential harm they pose. The regulator also indicated that one major social company, which was not named, may face formal action if it does not improve its compliance procedures.

The Online Safety Act introduced new laws aimed at protecting children and adults online from harmful content. Ofcom revealed that more than half of the top 100 most popular adult services in the UK have implemented age checks since the new rules came into force in July. Social media platforms such as X, TikTok, and Reddit have also introduced age checks.

Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s online safety group director, stated that "The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better." He added that "we need to see much more from tech companies next year and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short."

Key Facts

  • Ofcom fined First Time Videos (FTV) £80,000 ($100,000) for age verification failures.
  • AVS Group Ltd. received a £1 million fine for inadequate age verification on 18 adult websites, plus an additional £50,000 for failing to respond to information requests.
  • The Online Safety Act mandates "highly effective" age checks for pornographic websites in the UK.
  • AVS Group faces a £1,000 daily penalty if it does not implement effective age assurance within 72 hours, and an existing £300 daily fine for information request non-compliance.
  • Ofcom has opened investigations into 92 online services since the new rules were introduced in July.
  • More than half of the top 100 most popular adult services in the UK have introduced age checks since July.