The UK’s Online Safety Act introduces mandatory age checks for age restricted content to protect children from harmful or inappropriate content. For online businesses, especially SMEs, this means stricter age verification processes and storage of sensitive personal data like government issued ID or facial age estimation images. This creates serious cybersecurity and privacy risks if not handled correctly. With third-party providers like Persona (used by Reddit) storing user verification data, the potential for breaches increases. SMEs must adopt strict digital security practices to prevent leaks of extremely sensitive information, protect their customers, and meet compliance obligations.
The Online Safety Act is one of the most significant pieces of internet regulation ever introduced in the UK. It is designed to keep children safe online by preventing access to harmful material and age restricted content. While the goal is understandable, the new rules have brought a host of cybersecurity concerns for businesses.
You might think this only affects major platforms, but if you run a website or service that could be accessed by under-18s, whether you’re selling age restricted products or hosting user generated content, you’re likely affected. You’ll need to verify a user’s age and prove your systems meet the regulatory requirements.
For SMEs, this is a big change. It isn’t just about meeting the law. It’s about avoiding risks to your data, your customers, and your reputation. If sensitive age verification data leaks, the consequences could be devastating for your business.
The Online Safety Act is a UK law aimed at protecting children from harmful or inappropriate content online. It requires online businesses to use age assurance methods to ensure under-18s cannot access adult content or other restricted material.
It applies to a wide range of platforms, from major social media networks to smaller businesses that allow user interaction or sell age restricted goods. If your site has potentially harmful content, you now need a complete age verification process in place.
These checks might include scanning a government issued ID, using facial age estimation technology, or other methods to estimate a person’s age. The aim is to provide highly effective age assurance so only appropriate audiences can see age restricted material.
Failure to comply can lead to formal investigations, fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue, and serious damage to your reputation.
If your business hosts forums, comment sections, or sells age restricted products, you must implement age checks. These must be integrated into the user journey so under‑18s are blocked from accessing restricted areas. Even smaller platforms with relatively low traffic must conduct risk assessments and adopt proportionate age assurance methods.
Many SMEs choose third‑party age verification solutions for ease and speed. Reddit, for instance, uses Persona to handle age verification and retain verification data temporarily, typically deleting profiles within seven days, reducing their storage burden but also shifting risk to that provider.
Meanwhile Spotify now prompts UK users to upload a government issued ID or facial scan via biometric facial age estimation before accessing certain explicit music tracks or videos, failure to verify results in account deactivation.
These examples illustrate that even non‑adult platforms are implementing age checks, increasing the scale of data handling and potential exposure. SMEs must prepare to comply and secure all verification touchpoints effectively.
The age verification process creates a repository of highly sensitive data like, ID scans, facial scans, birthdates, that becomes a prime target for attackers. If compromised, the consequences range from identity theft and fraud to reputational destruction. Signing governments don’t require physical ID handing over, but digital copies are equally dangerous if leaked.
Furthermore, reliance on third-party providers adds supply chain risk. Many solutions are US‑based, subject to the Patriot Act. Persona used by Reddit retains verification data for up to seven days. Other providers may keep data far longer, increasing exposure windows and potential legal vulnerabilities under foreign law.
Scammers are also exploiting these changes. The requirement to upload IDs or selfies has sparked at least three realistic types of phishing or sextortion campaigns that reference age checks, threatening users with exposure if they don’t pay. The more real data exists, the more effective these scams become.
Finally, many UK users have taken to using virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass age checks, creating another layer of complexity. The use of VPNs have surged in the UK in an attempt to bypass the verification process with BBC reporting that one app maker noting a 1,800% increase in their VPNs downloads. Some of these tools are unmanaged or unreliable, potentially harbouring malware or compromising user privacy.
If employees or customers use unsafe VPNs to bypass controls, it could introduce vulnerabilities back into your organisation.
If your business is subject to the act, you must be smart about age checks and security. Keep verification data handling minimal. Use providers that offer privacy preserving operations. Confirm they delete sensitive data quickly, like Persona does within a week.
Always encrypt data in transit and at rest using modern standards. Keep logs limited, short‑lived, and secure. Restrict internal access to authorised personnel only. Vet third-party services thoroughly: check where they store data, how long they retain it, and their response plan in case of breach.
Train everyone in your team to recognise phishing scams that use age checks as a hook. Make clear to them and to your customers how your verification process works and how their data stays safe. Transparency goes a long way in securing trust and avoiding misinformation.
Strengthen your systems broadly: network segmentation, strict access controls, intrusion detection, regular security audits. If some users or staff attempt to bypass restrictions using VPNs, monitor and manage endpoints accordingly.
At Labyrinth Technology, we help SMEs strengthen their cybersecurity and compliance readiness so they can meet new legal requirements like the Online Safety Act with confidence. We work with you to make sure your systems, processes, and staff are prepared to handle age checks securely and without creating unnecessary risks.
We can review your current technology stack and recommend secure integration methods for any age verification solutions you choose to use. This includes ensuring encrypted data flows, tightening access controls, and applying privacy‑preserving principles to minimise the amount of sensitive information stored.
We also deliver security awareness training and phishing simulations tailored to emerging threats linked to age checks. This helps your team spot malicious requests, avoid mishandling data, and respond effectively to suspicious activity.
Our expertise in network security, data protection, and incident response planning ensures that if you need to bring in third‑party verification tools, they operate within a secure, well‑managed environment. This means you can focus on your core business while knowing your compliance and security posture are in safe hands.
The Online Safety Act changes the landscape for online businesses in the UK. Age checks are now unavoidable if you host potentially age restricted content. But there’s no need to panic. With proper planning, strong security practices, and expert support, you can stay compliant without compromising privacy or trust.
If you handle age verification, treat it as one of the most sensitive operations your business runs. Use secure methods, demand minimal data retention, and choose partners wisely. Labyrinth Technology is here to guide you through every step, helping you deliver safe, age appropriate experiences while keeping your business protected.
Get in touch today and start your journey to full compliance and complete digital cyber safety.
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