Ofcom oversees the process
Ofcom reports that many providers have already introduced such checks to comply with the Online Safety Act that came in in 2023. For those that do not comply with this lawful requirement, the consequences can range from fines to the site being removed from availability in the UK.
For too long, unsuitable content like porn has been easily available for children to access online. Ofcom found in its latest research that boys aged 13 or 14 were the most likely to look at porn sites, but sadly, 3% of 8- and 9-year-olds did so too.
How will the age verification checks work?
Sites may do the checks themselves or conduct them via a third party. Whichever way, there are numerous methods that they will use to check a user is old enough to use their services. These could include:
- Supplying a photo for a facial age estimation or photo-ID matching
- Bank information or credit card checks to ensure the user is over 18
- Mobile network operator age checks
- Utility bills (or other documents) checks
Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety commented: “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.”
