MAP Forum

The UK’s online safety and privacy regulators are targeting companies that violate new age verification laws at both ends : Porn sites that did not keep children out, and mainstream platforms that profited from children coming in.

On February 23, media regulator Ofcom fined porn operators that failed to put “highly effective” age checks in place. Within the same 24-hour time frame, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)—which is a separate, independent regulatory office—hit Reddit with an $18.2 million fine for unlawfully using children’s personal data for targeted advertising and recommendation systems.​​

Together, the cases show how quickly the UK is moving from guidance and “codes” to very real enforcement for services that don’t take children’s rights seriously.