Will UK porn age verification stop children seeing adult content?

The days of porn users ticking a box to say they are 18 are meant to be over.

From Friday, websites operating in the UK with pornographic content must “robustly” age-check users.

Adults wanting to access explicit material should experience a significant change in how they use the internet – while websites that ignore the new laws could be fined up to £18m, or 10% of worldwide revenue.

Ofcom, which estimates about 14 million people watch online pornography in the UK, says tougher age checks will make it harder for children to stumble across harmful material online.

But are the new rules, which are set out in the Online Safety Act watertight, or will people be able to find ways around them?

Ofcom, the media regulator, has set out a number of ways websites can verify the age of users, including through credit card checks, photo ID matching and estimating age using a selfie.

Whatever format platforms choose, they must be “technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair”.

Some sites that host sexually explicit content have already committed to introducing age checks.

But Ofcom says they must also take action over methods people might use to get around checks.

When BBC News wrote about the seven methods of age verification adult websites may use in the UK and the companies who may be employed to do it, one reader comment resonated with many others.

“Sure, I will give out my sensitive information to some random, unproven company or… I will use a VPN,” they said. “Difficult choice.”

A virtual private network (VPN) is a legal way to securely connect one device to another using the internet.

They have a variety of uses, but one is getting around anything blocked because of your location.

According to Ofcom, platforms must not host, share or permit content encouraging use of VPNs to get around age checks.

The regulator said parents should be aware children using a VPN to access the internet “would not be able to benefit from the protections of the Online Safety Act”.

Concerned parents, it said, should block or control VPN usage.

But Katie Freeman-Tayler from children’s safety group Internet Matters said she believed it was “likely” more people would use the tech as the new rules come in.

“VPN use is only likely to increase when measures come into force later this week,” she said.

A spokesperson from Aylo – the parent company of Pornhub – said the question of VPNs was an issue for governments.

“We certainly do not recommend that anyone uses technology to bypass the law,” they said.

Some of the ways Ofcom suggests platforms can check ages prompt questions, but Chelsea Jarvie, a cyber security expert, said the methods “are effective at proving someone’s age and include controls to prevent circumvention”.

“However, like all technology controls, determined users will try to find ways around them and we may see users turning to more anonymous methods to access online content,” she said.

There is an additional problem – trust among internet users amid high-profile cyber attacks.

“Many remain cautious about handing over personal identity information in order to prove their age,” she said.

Age verification companies insist their systems are robust and will prevent people from getting around their tools.

“It is possible that an adult could complete an age check on behalf of a child if they were passed a device,” added Andy Lulham from Verifymy.

“This would be comparable to an adult going into a shop and buying a pornographic magazine on behalf of a child, and would be extremely irresponsible.”

All sites and apps allowing pornography in the UK will be required to have “highly effective” methods to check the age of users by 25 July.

Pornhub and a number of other major adult websites have confirmed they will introduce enhanced age checks, while Reddit has already introduced age verification to stop people aged under 18 from looking at “certain mature content”.

Discord gives UK users a choice of face or ID scanning as a way to verify their age, after testing methods, and Bluesky says it will give UK users a range of different verification options.

Many more services which allow sexually explicit material may need to bring in measures to comply with the new rules.

Tom, who is in his 20s, says he has been watching porn since he was a teenager and is worried about sharing personal data to access porn sites.

“It’s not a question of if something will leak, but when,” he told the BBC.

He is concerned about how a leak of personal data could affect users, including those whose viewing habits could reveal their sexuality if they have not come out to friends and family.

Age verification companies told the BBC people should be reassured because firms don’t retain data.

Shea, who is in his 20s and watches porn daily, is also concerned.

“Please upload a face scan of your ID and passport? No thank you,” he said.

He believes the need to prove your age will be off-putting to many people who want to access content quickly with few hurdles.

Instead, he thinks some will turn elsewhere in the hunt for adult content.

“It’s just pushing people into the fringe of the extremes,” he said. “It’s not stopping you from watching porn.”