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Duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
9 May 2025
Ofcom opened an enforcement programme in January 2025 into age assurance measures across the adult sector, initially focusing on regulated providers’ compliance with the Part 5 duties.
We are now investigating whether Score Internet Group LLC has failed/is failing to comply with its duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
Relevant Legal Provision: Section 81 of the Online Safety Act 2023.
In January 2025, Ofcom decided to open an enforcement programme under the Online Safety Act (OSA). The programme focusses on the duties for part 5 services to implement highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornography.
Today we have opened an investigation into Score Internet Group LLC, (in relation to the their site, Scoreland.com). The service does not appear to have taken steps to implement highly effective age assurance on their services, as required under section 81 of the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom’s investigation will examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that each of the companies has failed, or is failing, to comply with its duties under section 81 in Part 5 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (the ‘Act’) to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
We will provide an update on these investigations in due course. Ofcom’s Online Safety Enforcement Guidance sets out how Ofcom will normally approach enforcement under the Act. This includes our approach to information gathering and analysis and the procedural steps we must take to fairly determine the outcome of the investigation.
CW/01298/05/25