Highly effective age assurance
OfficialOfcom’s letter states that in-scope services allowing pornography must implement highly effective age assurance from 25 July 2025.
THE SAME CRITERIA, VISIBLE EVIDENCE
Understand what sets them apart.
Compare documented information. Unknowns remain visible.
Comparison covers MONIFACT's cross-cutting organization profiles. Profiles from some specialist sectors are not yet available in this selector.
Documented overview
Answers grounded in published evidence, with stated limitations.
| Dimension | United Kingdom | European Union |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Unknown | Unknown |
| Market presence | Unknown | Unknown |
| Methods | Unknown | The solution is designed to prove an 18+ threshold while limiting disclosure, with future EU Digital Identity Wallet compatibility. |
| Technology & vendors | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ownership | Unknown | Unknown |
| Regulation | Ofcom published its 2026 report assessing age-assurance use. It covers early evidence from pornography, social media and dating services. The letter addresses Part 3 services allowing pornography. Services carrying other content can have additional child-protection duties. Ofcom’s letter states that in-scope services allowing pornography must implement highly effective age assurance from 25 July 2025. | The Commission dates its blueprint to 14 July 2025 and its feature-ready solution to 15 April 2026. These milestones do not establish nationwide deployment. |
| Documented deployments | Unknown | Unknown |
| Recent changes | Ofcom publishes its 2026 age-assurance report ↗ Age-assurance date specified by Ofcom for in-scope Part 3 services ↗ | EU age-verification solution reaches a technical milestone ↗ |
Detailed evidence comparison
United Kingdom
Published assessment
OfficialOfcom published its 2026 report assessing age-assurance use. It covers early evidence from pornography, social media and dating services.
Scope of the letter
OfficialThe letter addresses Part 3 services allowing pornography. Services carrying other content can have additional child-protection duties.
European Union
EU age-verification solution
OfficialThe Commission dates its blueprint to 14 July 2025 and its feature-ready solution to 15 April 2026. These milestones do not establish nationwide deployment.
Proof of being over 18
OfficialThe solution is designed to prove an 18+ threshold while limiting disclosure, with future EU Digital Identity Wallet compatibility.