All porn sites must 'robustly' verify UK user ages by July


All porn sites must

Tom Gerken Technology reporter, 01/17/2025 All websites on which pornographic material can be found, including social media platforms, must introduce "robust" age-checking techniques such as demanding photo ID or running credit card checks for UK users by July. The long-awaited guidance, issued by regulator Ofcom, has been made under the Online Safety Act (OSA), and is intended to prevent children from easily accessing pornography online. Research indicates the average age at which young people first see explicit material online in the UK is 13 - with many being exposed to it much earlier. "For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services", said Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes, adding: "today, this starts to change." Ofcom confirmed to the BBC this meant user-to-user services such as social media platforms must implement "highly effective checks" - which in some cases might mean "preventing children from accessing the entire site". However, some porn sites and privacy campaigners have warned the move will be counterproductive, saying introducing beefed-up age verification will only push people to "darker corners" of the internet.