The UK has just passed the Digital Economy Bill, part of which aims to stop children’s exposure to harmful sexualized content online by requiring age verification to access sites containing pornographic material. In other words, the age of unencumbered access to porn is coming to an end for those under the age of 18.

For years, it’s been illegal to sell a fourteen year-old a porn video at a store, yet the internet – where kids are watching porn today – has had no age restrictions. Until now.

The Rationale

Kids are spending more and more time online. As of 2016, children between 12-15 are spending over 20 hours online per week. Their world is shaped by the internet, and the new law seeks to make it a place where they can enjoy the benefits without stumbling into the dangers.

• One study shows that one in ten (13%) of children aged 6-14 visited a porn site in May 2015
• 53% of boys and 39% of girls who have seen porn believe it’s a realistic depiction of sex
• 44% of boys and 29% of girls who have seen online pornography say it’s given them ideas about the types of sex they want to try out

The Law

• The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which is the body that already rates films, will be in of charge of classifying and censoring porn websites.
• If a website with adult content doesn’t put meaningful age verification into place, the regulator will give them a warning. If they do not become compliant, they will receive a fine in proportion to the size of their company.
• In addition to this, if the website refuses to cooperate, major payment service firms such as Visa and Mastercard would be able to withdraw payment services from the site under their existing terms and conditions, which already require merchants to comply with national laws. Ultimately, internet service providers will block content where age verification is not implemented, ensuring that non-UK sites will comply.

Our Take

This is huge! While screening Over 18 in communities in Canada and the UK, we heard first-hand from parents, teachers, counsellors, and teens about the negative effects of pornography exposure on kids and youth. Filters and education only go so far to protect kids in the age of the internet. Legislative action is necessary.

Censorship and free speech laws don’t hold water, because an adult can still access pornography. Just like a store would require them to show proof of age to purchase porn, they will now have to do so online. A precedent for this is the online gambling industry, where a person’s age must be verified in order to play. Innovative age verification solutions are being introduced to the market at a fast rate, enabling someone to prove their age while protecting their identity.

“There is no plausible moral or freedom of speech argument that can be made to say that pornography is appropriate for children ­and especially younger, more vulnerable children ­to see.”

AV Consultation Response Report

Canada will be watching the UK’s implementation of this new law with keen interest, as the Standing Committee on Health just wrapped up its hearings on the effects of pornography and will be making its recommendations soon (you can read Hope for the Sold’s brief here).

Our hope is that Canada will follow the UK’s lead and implement meaningful age verification, because there’s one thing that pretty much everyone agrees on – our kids shouldn’t get their sex education from watching gang bangs.