OnlyFans, a social media platform known for its adult content, is investigated by British regulators

OnlyFans, a social media platform headquartered in London, England, was recently investigated by Ofcom, the British media regulator. The main reason was that the regulator suspected that OnlyFans did not strictly comply with the Online Safety Act and prevent minors from accessing adult content.

OnlyFans is best known for its adult content, and the platform has many adult content creators. Users need to pay a subscription to view most of the content provided by creators.

The UK recently passed the Online Safety Bill, which requires video sharing platforms to take appropriate measures to prevent minors from accessing adult content (including pictures and videos) provided by video sharing platforms.

Based on legal requirements, OnlyFans and other adult websites or adult social media platforms have introduced age verification mechanisms in the British market. For example, OnlyFans requires British users and creators to submit documents to verify their age. Only those who are over 18 years old can become Creator or become a subscriber of adult content.

In order to make it easier for users to use OnlyFans, it has also cooperated with the digital identity platform Yoti. After users complete identity authentication through Yoti, they can share their identity information with other platforms, thereby eliminating repeated authentication.

Ofcom suspected that OnlyFans did not implement age verification measures to adequately protect minors under the age of 18, so the regulator decided to launch an investigation into OnlyFans, including an investigation into whether OnlyFans had complied with its obligation to provide accurate information in accordance with statutory requirements.

OnlyFans responded that it would actively work with regulators to implement and develop best practices for online safety, including the use of age verification technology, but the platform also emphasized that there were no violations.