All porn sites must ‘firmly’ verify the ages of UK users by July.

All websites where pornographic content can be found, including social media platforms, will have to introduce “stronger” age verification techniques for UK users by July, such as asking for photo ID or credit card checks. to do

The long-awaited guidance issued by regulator Ofcom is made under the Online Safety Act (OSA) and aims to prevent children from easily accessing pornographic content online.

Research indicates that the average first time teenagers in the UK view explicit content online is 13 – with many exposed much earlier.

“For too long, many online services that allow pornographic and other harmful content have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services,” Ofcom boss Melanie said. Dawes added: “Today, that’s starting to change.”

Ofcom confirmed to the BBC that this means that user-to-user services such as social media platforms must implement “highly effective checks” – which could mean “children prevent access to the entire site”.

However, some porn sites and privacy campaigners have warned that the move would be harmful, saying that introducing beefed-up age verification would push people into the “deep corners” of the internet.

The media regulator estimates that around 14 million people in the UK view pornography online.

But it is so readily available that campaign groups have raised concerns that children are watching it too young – one in ten children watch it by the age of nine, according to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner.

“As age checks roll out over the coming months, adults will start to see a difference in how they access online services,” Dame Melanie said. said

The rules also require services that publish their own pornographic content — including those with generative AI tools — to begin age verification immediately.

Age verification platform UT called such technology “essential” to creating safer spaces online.

Chief Regulatory and Policy Officer Julie Dawson said, “It is imperative that age assurance is enforced on porn sites of all sizes, creating a level playing field, and providing age-appropriate access for adults. “

However, website PornHub’s parent company Ilo told the BBC that such age verification was “inefficient, random and dangerous”.

He claimed that there has been a significant change in porn use in the US state of Louisiana. After similar age verification controls are in placeWith an 80 percent drop in its website traffic in the state.

He claimed that “these people didn’t stop looking for porn, they just went to the dark corners of the internet that don’t ask users to verify their age.”

“In practice, the laws have made the Internet more dangerous for adults and children.”

Ofcom has published what it calls a “non-exhaustive” list of technologies that can be used to verify ages, including:

• Open Banking
• Image ID matching
• Face Age Estimation
• Age check of mobile network operator
• Credit card check
• Digital Identity Services
• Email based age estimation

The rules specifically state that “self-declaration of age” is no longer considered the “most efficient” method of age verification – and is therefore not acceptable.

It also states that users should not access pornographic content before completing age verification.

Other age verification firms have reacted positively to the news.

“The regulator’s long-awaited guidance on age assurance means that mature content providers now have the clarity they need to put their houses in order and keep explicit content well away from younger consumers. “There is a need to adopt strong and reliable methods,” said Leena Ghazal, Head. of Regulatory and Public Affairs at Verifymy.

But privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch warned that many age-checking methods are preventable and should not be seen as panacea.

Boss Silki Carlo said, “It is important to protect children online, but many age verification technologies are ineffective and pose additional risks to children and adults alike, including breaches of security, privacy Includes intrusions, errors, digital exclusions and censorship,” said boss Silki Carlo.

“We should avoid anything like a digital ID system for the internet that erodes online privacy and fails to keep children safe,” he added.