A version of this article was originally published on January 16 2023

Regulator Ofcom has issued new guidance under the Online Safety Act (OSA) which states that all websites which host pornographic material (including social media platforms) must introduce ‘robust’ age-checking techniques, such as checking photo ID by July 25.

The regulator has now sent out a letter to hundreds of platforms which host pornographic content. “Services in scope of the Online Safety Act and which allow pornography, must implement highly effective age assurance to stop under-18s encountering that content,” the letter reads, adding that the changes need to be implemented by July 25 2025.

The new rule is intended to prevent children from accessing pornography online, with research suggesting that on average young people first encounter explicit material online at the age of 13. According to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner, one in 10 children see it by age nine.

“For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services,” Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes said in a statement. Speaking to the BBC, Ofcom confirmed that the guidelines mean social media platforms must implement “highly effective checks” to ensure children cannot access pornography on their platforms.

Some porn sites and privacy campaigners have concerns that the move will be counterproductive and result in pushing young people to “darker corners” of the internet.

Similar age verification controls came into force in Louisiana last year, with Pornhub’s traffic subsequently dropping 80 per cent in the state. In a statement, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, described requiring porn sites to use age verification tools is “ineffective, haphazard and dangerous”.

“These people did not stop looking for porn, they just migrated to darker corners of the internet that don't ask users to verify age,” the statement reads. “In practice, the laws have just made the internet more dangerous for adults and children.”

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch have also expressed their worry that age verification technologies can encroach on user privacy online. “Children must be protected online, but many technological age-checking methods are ineffective and introduce additional risks to children and adults alike including security breaches, privacy intrusion, errors, digital exclusion and censorship,” Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said in a statement. “There is a broad spectrum of age-checking methods, including dangerously intrusive methods like biometric face scans and even ID cards and passports for internet access. We must avoid anything like a digital ID system for the internet that would both eradicate privacy online and fail to keep children safe.”

“Many technological age assurance methods can be easily circumvented and shouldn’t be seen as a silver bullet solution, whilst parental controls, user controls and age ratings are other recognised, reliable methods to protect children from inappropriate content online.”