A pornography website operator has been fined £630,000 after failing to introduce legally required age verification measures designed to stop children from accessing explicit content online.

The penalty was issued by communications regulator Ofcom following an investigation into the company's compliance with the UK's Online Safety Act. The watchdog found the firm had failed to implement effective age checks, despite new rules requiring adult websites to verify that users are aged 18 or over before allowing access to pornographic material.

Ofcom said the company had not put in place "highly effective" age assurance systems within the required timeframe, leaving children at risk of accessing adult content. The regulator said protecting young people online remains a key priority and warned that companies failing to comply with the law could face significant financial penalties.

The Online Safety Act introduced stricter requirements for websites and online platforms hosting pornography, requiring them to use robust age verification methods rather than relying on users to self-declare their age. The rules form part of wider efforts to improve online safety for children in the UK.

Ofcom said it expects all providers of online pornography to comply with the legislation and will continue to monitor websites for breaches. It added that further enforcement action could be taken against companies that fail to introduce effective age assurance measures.

The fine is one of a number of enforcement actions taken by the regulator since the new online safety rules came into force, highlighting its intention to ensure adult websites meet their legal obligations to prevent under-18s from accessing explicit material.