If your child has recently tried to open an app or a website and been asked to prove how old they are, you are not alone. Over the past year, age checks have quietly become a normal part of being online in the UK. Some parents find it reassuring. Others find it confusing, or worry about what happens to the information. This is a plain guide to what is going on and what it means for your family.
What changed, and why
Under the Online Safety Act, the rules that require services to protect children came into force in July 2025. Since then, sites and apps that host adult content or other material unsuitable for children have to check that users are old enough before letting them through.
The regulator responsible is Ofcom. In its Use of Age Assurance Report, published on 15 July 2026, Ofcom looked at how well these checks have worked in their first year. It found that between July 2025 and January 2026, the share of children who were asked to prove their age and met a genuinely effective check rose from 25 per cent to 43 per cent. In other words, the checks are becoming harder to slip past, though there is still a long way to go.
Ofcom has not just published guidance. As of early 2026 it had opened investigations into more than 90 services and issued its first fines for services that were not doing enough. So the rules have teeth.
The bigger picture: age limits for social media
Age checks on adult content are only part of the story. During 2026 the government said it wants to go further and set minimum age limits for social media, alongside curbs on features designed to keep children scrolling.
The children’s charity NSPCC welcomed the direction of travel. Its chief executive said the move could be a win for children and parents, but stressed that it only works if the age checks behind it are robust and properly enforced, and if the addictive design features that keep children hooked are tackled too.
For now, nothing has changed overnight for existing accounts. But it is a sign of where things are heading, and worth keeping an eye on if your child is approaching the age where they want a social account.
How the age checks actually work
When your child hits an age check, the service can use one of several methods. Ofcom lists these as acceptable approaches:
- Facial age estimation. Software looks at a photo or short video and estimates an age range. It does not try to identify who the person is.
- Open banking. A secure, permission-based check with the user’s bank that confirms they are over 18, without sharing account details with the website.
- Digital identity services. A secure digital wallet that holds a verified age.
- Credit card checks. Confirming a card that is only issued to adults.
- Mobile network checks. Confirming whether an adult content filter is on the phone contract.
- Photo ID matching. Comparing an uploaded ID document with a selfie.
- Email based estimation. Analysing how long an email address has been linked to adult services.
A child should not be able to pass an adult check simply by typing in a fake date of birth. That was the old way, and it never worked.
What about privacy?
This is the question most parents ask, and it is a fair one. Ofcom's position is that strong age checks can be done in a way that protects privacy. A good facial age check, for example, estimates an age band and then deletes the image. It does not build a file on your child.
Data protection is regulated separately by the Information Commissioner’s Office. If a service is misusing data collected during an age check, that is something the ICO can investigate.
A few sensible habits help:
- Stick to the check offered by the site itself rather than a random third party pop-up.
- Never let a child upload a photo of your passport or driving licence to a site you do not recognise.
- If a check asks for far more than seems necessary, close it and look for an official route.
What this means for you as a parent
Age checks are a backstop, not a babysitter. They stop some of the worst content reaching young children, but they do not replace the everyday things that keep children safe.
- Keep using parental controls. Internet Matters reports that around two thirds of parents already use them. They are worth setting up on the broadband, the device and the individual apps.
- Talk about why the checks exist. A short, calm chat lands better than a lecture. Children accept boundaries far more easily when they understand the reason.
- Expect some frustration. Your child may grumble that a game or site now asks their age. That is normal, and it is a good moment to talk about what the internet is trying to keep them away from.
The rules are still settling in, and they will keep changing over the next couple of years. The steady things, open conversation, sensible controls and knowing where your child spends their time, matter just as much as any new law.