Age and Consent Guidance

Adult-only access

A person under 18 must not use the service, appear in member content, or be involved in an arrangement made through it. Suspected underage access should be reported immediately and contact should stop.

UK online-safety duties can require robust age assurance for services and content within scope. Age assurance should be designed alongside data-protection principles, including collecting only what is necessary and explaining how information is handled. Ofcom and the ICO publish joint age-assurance guidance for relevant services.

What consent requires

Consent is an active and informed agreement. It belongs to each person, applies to a specific activity, and can be withdrawn at any time. A relationship, previous meeting, payment, journey, message, or earlier yes does not create continuing permission.

Capacity and impairment

A person must be able to understand and choose. Intoxication, unconsciousness, fear, pressure, confusion, or an inability to communicate clearly can remove capacity. Stop when there is doubt.

Separate permissions

Messaging, meeting, watching, touching, sexual activity, barriers, photography, recording, storing media, and sharing media are separate decisions. Ask about each rather than assuming one answer covers everything.

Couples and group plans

Every person in a couple or group has an independent voice. One partner cannot consent for another adult. If the plan changes, a new person arrives, or a boundary moves, pause and ask again.

Consent and the public

Members of the public cannot be treated as participants or an audience without consent. Choose private or explicitly permitted settings and leave any situation that risks exposing non-consenting people to sexual conduct.