Get ready for a brave new digital world, folks, because around 6,000 porn sites operating in the UK are supposedly starting to check if users are over 18 today! Our media regulator, Ofcom, sounds rather pleased with itself, with its chief executive even declaring that we’re finally seeing “not just words but action from the technology industry” to keep kids safe online. Apparently, “no other country had pulled off” such a feat, or managed to get commitments from so many big names, including Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). So, a round of applause, perhaps, for this monumental effort to ensure we’re all playing by the grown up rules.
But hold your horses or should I say, rein in your enthusiasm because some experts are already raising an eyebrow. One major porn site, for example, apparently wasn’t asking for age checks this morning. And honestly, anyone with a bit of tech savvy (or a mischievous teenager in their life) might be wondering just how “effective” these age checks will truly be. Is it going to be a real barrier, or just another hoop for determined youngsters to jump through? Because let’s be realistic: people will always find a way around these things, and one of the easiest ways is using a VPN to make it look like they’re browse from a different country. It just goes to show you, you try to give an inch of online safety, and some folks will always try to take a mile around it.
Ofcom proudly announced that even more platforms, like Discord, Bluesky, and even the dating app Grindr (yes, Grindr!), have agreed to bring in age checks. They’d already secured promises from giants like Pornhub a site so popular it probably needs no introduction in the UK and Reddit. Apparently, Reddit’s age verification is now in full swing across all sorts of their topic-based groups, even those about… well, alcohol. Because nothing says “responsible online behaviour” like age gating discussions about cocktails!
Our Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, thinks these new rules are just “common sense.” He pointed out the apparent absurdity that “you are age checked when you want to buy a can of Monster, but you’re not age checked when you access certain material online.” He’s got a point there, I suppose. It’s truly a monstrous oversight, isn’t it?
Children’s charities, like the NSPCC, are celebrating this as a moment when tech companies “can no longer evade their duty for protecting children.” They say it’s “high time for tech companies to step up.” Professor Elena Martellozzo from the University of Edinburgh echoed this, declaring that the rules send a clear message: “child safety and child protection are not optional.” So, no more excuses, tech giants! Time to log on to your responsibilities.
However, not everyone is popping champagne corks. The Molly Rose Foundation, a charity set up by the family of a young girl who tragically took her own life after seeing harmful content online, believes the rules don’t go far enough. Their chief executive thinks Ofcom has prioritised “the business needs of big tech over children’s safety.” It seems some feel this online safety act isn’t quite ready for a standing ovation.
There’s also a big worry that people, especially kids, might just find ways around these age checks. This could potentially push them towards even less regulated corners of the internet, where the content is even more explicit and dangerous. As one sex worker and educator, Reed Amber Thomas-Litman, quite rightly pointed out, a lot of porn can be “incredibly derogative to women and there’s a lot of violence and aggression.” She fears that if children are exposed to this without proper education, they’ll “mimic that.” One almost wonders if it would have to be a woman making that claim for it to be taken seriously.
She also raised a very valid concern about privacy: what about people, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, who don’t feel comfortable handing over their ID online? “If you have to hand over your ID, that means you have no protection where that information is going,” she said, fearing it could go to “third party companies and who knows what they’ll do with that information.” While many age verification services claim they don’t hold onto your ID details for long, it’s still a point that gives many pause.
So, while the UK is seemingly cracking down on online adult content, the real test will be whether these new rules are truly effective, or if they’re just an elaborate game of hide and seek with the internet’s more unsavoury corners.
Do you think these new regulations will truly make the internet a safer place, or is this just another case of closing the barn door after the horses have bolted?
