Ofcom has fined 4chan £520,000 ($690,000) for failing to comply with the Online Safety Act 2023. The largest penalty, £450,000 ($598,000), addresses the platform's failure to implement effective age verification to prevent children from accessing pornographic content. The anonymous messaging board must apply an age check system by April 2 or face daily penalties of £500 ($664) until compliance or June 1.

Regulators also penalized 4chan £50,000 ($66,400) for insufficient illegal content risk assessment, with a daily £200 ($266) fine if no assessment is conducted by April 2. An additional £20,000 ($26,600) fine was issued for missing terms of service provisions regarding illegal content protection, accompanied by a daily £100 ($133) penalty from April 2 to June 1.

This follows a previous £20,000 fine announced in October when 4chan ignored Ofcom's requests for risk assessment documentation and revenue information. The regulator confirms 4chan has yet to pay that initial fine, which has accumulated daily penalties for 60 days. The investigation began in June 2025 to determine if 4chan met its legal obligations under the new safety regulations.