Porn websites across the United Kingdom (UK) are soon to make ID verification mandatory for users before giving access to the content. Ofcom, the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, said that any website that hosts pornography must introduce "robust" age checking to make sure the user is about 18 and children are not getting exposed to the content. All the websites will have to ensure the implementation of the rule by July 2025.
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Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, said in a statement, "For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services."
He said these websites either do not ask for age verification the checks are minimal and easy to pass even by underage people.
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"That means companies have effectively been treating all users as if they're adults, leaving children potentially exposed to porn and other types of harmful content," he said adding the process will not start to "change".
The details of the guidance say all the services allowing pornography or any type of adult content, including OnlyFans, will be required to introduce age verification tools to prove that are not exposing the content to a child. The verification process will include photo ID matching, facial age estimation or credit card checks. All the details are a part of Ofcom's Online Safety Act.
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It further says that all social media and search services are required to carry out a children's access assessment to determine if their site is likely to be accessed by children. They are given the time till April 16 to implement this.
'As age checks start to roll out in the coming months, adults will start to notice a difference in how they access certain online services,' Melanie said.
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(With inputs from agencies)