Ofcom published proposals on Friday that would push age verification to the device and app-store layer for social media services caught by the Online Safety Act, arguing that platform-level checks alone leave gaps when children sideload apps or borrow accounts.
The consultation, which runs through late November, asks whether Apple, Google and alternative storefronts should share responsibility with named user-to-user services when a child under 13 — or under 18 for adult-only apps — attempts to install software. Ofcom's draft code builds on duties that already require the largest platforms to assess whether children can access harmful content, but it explicitly names operating system settings and parental controls as part of the compliance chain.
What providers would have to do
Under the preferred option, app marketplaces would need to collect age signals from the device — such as account age bands or verified ID tokens — before permitting downloads of high-risk categories. Browsers could be asked to enforce similar gates for progressive web apps that bypass stores. Ofcom said it is not mandating a single technology, but it warned that self-declared birth years without verification would no longer meet the "highly effective" standard Parliament set.
Privacy groups immediately asked how age assurance vendors would store documents, while smaller developers fear compliance costs. Ofcom responded that proportionality rules would exempt low-reach services, focusing firepower on the dozen-plus Category 1 platforms already in scope.
Industry timing
The move lands as Apple and Google face parallel EU digital rulebooks and UK antitrust scrutiny over mobile ecosystems. Network operators, who once sold adult content filters, argue they should not become default age police for every app. Ofcom's chief executive told reporters the goal is consistency: parents should not need a different verification flow for every social app a teenager tries.
Responses from parents' charities largely backed stronger gates; games trade bodies asked for carve-outs where age ratings already exist under PEGI. Ofcom will test final codes in 2026, with enforcement powers including fines up to 10 per cent of global turnover for the largest services.
Parent groups and schools
School leaders welcomed device-level gates but asked who pays when families share one tablet among siblings of different ages. Ofcom's consultation includes a chapter on shared-device households, proposing periodic re-checks rather than one-time verification. Mobile network operators said they already filter adult sites at DNS level and should not duplicate app-store duties without extra funding.