Latest news with #agechecks
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
UK study shows 8% of children aged eight to 14 have viewed online pornography
Nearly one in 10 children aged eight to 14 have watched online pornography, according to the UK's communications watchdog, as most adult content providers gear up to adopt stronger age checks ahead of a 25 July deadline. Ofcom published research showing that 8% of children aged eight to 14 in the UK had visited an online pornography site or app over a month-long period. Boys aged 13 to 14 were the most likely viewers, with two out of 10 visiting adult sites. Ofcom said the total number of under-18s visiting such sites would have been 'higher still' if older teenagers had been included. The watchdog released the data ahead of a 25 July deadline for pornography sites and apps that allow pornography – including social media platforms as well as dedicated providers – to put in place 'highly effective' age-checking measures to prevent under-18s from accessing adult material. Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's group director of online safety, said children hade been 'only a click away from pornography' for too long. He added: 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s.' Ofcom said major providers including Pornhub – the UK's most popular pornography site - Stripchat and YouPorn had agreed to implement the stronger measures as part of the Online Safety Act (OSA). Platforms that do not comply with the measures face a range of punishments, from being fined 10% of global turnover to being blocked in the UK. Age assurance methods supported by Ofcom include: facial age estimation, where technology assesses a person's likely age through a live photo or video; checking a person's age via their credit card provider, bank or mobile phone network operator; photo ID matching, where a passport or similar ID is checked against a selfie; or a 'digital identity wallet' that contains proof of age. Ofcom said 'just ticking a box to say you're over 18 will no longer be enough'. The regulator added that eight out of 10 adults supported using age checks on pornographic sites as a means of protecting children. Earlier this month, Ofcom said it had launched a string of investigations into 4chan, a pornography site operator, and several file-sharing platforms over suspected failures to protect children, after it received complaints about illegal activity and potential sharing of child abuse images. It said none of the services had responded to its legal information requests. Ofcom said all the measures adopted by pornography providers must not exclude adults from accessing legal content and should protect their privacy. Age assurance measures deployed by adult content platforms are subject to UK GDPR – the country's data protection regulation – which is overseen by the data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office. Tim Cairns, online safety policy lead at Care, a prominent campaigner for stronger age-checking measures, said age-gating for pornography was 'long overdue'. He added: 'Porn use is linked to sexual harassment in schools and violent sexual crime. Studies also demonstrate its harmful impact on relationships and mental health. It is vital that Ofcom gets this right.' Rani Govender, the policy manager for child safety online at child safety charity NSPCC, said: 'It is time tech companies take responsibility for ensuring children have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and we welcome the progress that Ofcom are making in this space.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Porn sites to use ‘highly effective' age checks next month to protect children
All UK porn sites will use 'highly effective' age checks within the next month to provide greater protection to children, regulator Ofcom has announced. Major providers including Pornhub, Stripchat and Jerkmate have agreed to the stronger measures, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, as part of the Online Safety Act (OSA). Any company that fails to comply with the checks by July 25 could be fined or could be made unavailable in the UK through a court order. The platforms must also make sure the measures do not compromise the privacy of adults or prevent them from accessing legal content. Age assurance methods can include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to verify or guess how old someone is. The regulator said 'the way in which these solutions are implemented in practice' will decide whether it is compliant with the OSA. It comes after new Ofcom research found that 8% of eight to 14-year-olds in the UK had visited an online porn site or app on smartphones, tablets or computers in a month. Earlier this month, Ofcom said it had launched a string of investigations into 4chan, a porn site operator and several file-sharing platforms over suspected failures to protect children, after it received complaints about illegal activity and potential sharing of child abuse images. It said none of the services responded to its legal information requests. Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom group director of online safety, said: 'Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling. 'But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. 'Now, change is happening. 'These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s.' A report looking into the use and effectiveness of age assurance methods will be published by Ofcom next year.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Brits warned of major changes coming to PornHub and a dozen more popular XXX sites in WEEKS
RANDY Brits will be faced with new checks to verify their age when trying to access popular porn sites including PornHub starting next month. More than a dozen top XXX user-generated platforms have said they will add "highly effective" age checks in a bid to protect children. 3 3 Age assurance methods can include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to verify or guess how old someone is. It comes as strict new rules kick start on July 25, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, as part of the Online Safety Act which is monitored by regulator Ofcom. Firms that fail to comply could be slapped with a fine or even blocked from the UK. PornHub - the most visited XXX site in the UK - as well as YouPorn and RedTube are among the big names that have said they will implement changes. The full list that have agreed to be named are: PornHub BoyfriendTV Cam4 FrolicMe inxxx Jerkmate LiveHDCams MyDirtyHobby RedTube Streamate Stripchat Tube8 YouPorn "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety. "But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s." Online firms who publish their own pro porn movies are already required to protect children, and thousands of sites have already introduced tougher age checks. What I saw on Pornhub was so shocking I went to war with them Platforms must also make sure the measures do not compromise the privacy of adults or prevent them from accessing legal content. Shockingly, eight per cent of children aged between eight and 14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month, according to Ofcom research. Around 3 per cent of those are aged just eight or nine years-old. 3
