New Delhi, July 22 -- UK media regulator Ofcom has issued a stark warning to social media firms including Elon Musk's platform X, demanding the implementation of strict age-verification measures to prevent children from accessing pornography-or face fines that could be up to £200 million.

The directive, which comes into effect this Friday (July 25), is part of the Online Safety Act 2023, a law designed to protect both children and adults from harmful online content.

According to MailOnline, the new rules require that "all firms hosting pornography online must have robust and highly effective age checks" in place to stop users under the age of 18 from viewing explicit material.

"By Friday, all sites and apps that allow pornography ...