The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has fined MintStars Ltd £7,000 ($8,766) for failing to implement adequate age verification measures to protect minors from accessing restricted material, including pornography. The ruling, issued on January 23, 2025, marks the second time a social media subscription platform of this kind has been penalized under the Video Sharing Platform (VSP) regime.

Ofcom’s investigation focused on MintStars’ compliance with the rules set out in the Communications Act 2003, particularly Section 368Z1, which mandates platforms to take appropriate measures to prevent under-18s from accessing harmful content. The regulator determined that between November 2023 and August 27, 2024, MintStars failed to implement or maintain adequate access controls.

During this period, the platform underwent several functional changes that heightened the risk of minors encountering restricted content. Ofcom found that MintStars did not sufficiently review or update its verification processes to mitigate these risks. The investigation concluded that the company should have:

• Regularly assessed its access control measures in response to platform modifications.
• Implemented robust age verification processes to prevent minors from accessing explicit content.

Due to these lapses, Ofcom ruled that MintStars had committed a serious breach of its obligations, warranting financial penalties.

After the company admitted liability and cooperated with the investigation, Ofcom initially considered a fine of £10,000 ($12,523) but granted MintStars a 30% discount, reducing the penalty to £7,000. The regulator acknowledged that MintStars has rectified its shortcomings by implementing age assurance technology.

“Given the seriousness of the breach and the importance of protecting children from restricted material, Ofcom notes that the penalty had the potential to have been significantly higher,” the regulator stated. However, it deemed the imposed fine to be “appropriate and proportionate.”

MintStars.com is the second company in its sector to face regulatory action. Previously, Ofcom fined another social media subscription site, Revere VIP, for failing to respond to official requests for information. The fines signal Ofcom’s increasing scrutiny of platforms hosting adult content and their responsibilities under UK law.

The Video Sharing Platform (VSP) regime enhanced online safety by holding digital platforms accountable for implementing effective age verification mechanisms. The case against MintStars underscores the regulator’s commitment to enforcing these measures.

MintStars, a UK-based OnlyFans-style content platform, was co-founded by Daniel Sargent and Jessica Van Meir. The company markets itself as an inclusive, creator-friendly alternative to mainstream subscription sites.

Van Meir, a PhD candidate at Harvard and a former Gates Cambridge Scholar, has spent the past decade advocating for sex workers’ rights. She co-founded the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective in 2023 and has worked with various women’s and trans rights organizations.

Sargent, a technology entrepreneur with over a decade of experience, was inspired to launch MintStars after witnessing creators face image piracy, unfair account suspensions, and chargebacks on other platforms.

The enforcement action against MintStars signals Ofcom’s determination to hold digital platforms accountable for safeguarding minors online. With regulatory scrutiny increasing, content subscription platforms will likely face tighter compliance requirements and potentially higher penalties for non-compliance in the future.

You can follow MIntStars on X at @MintStarsReal.