Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, all websites and applications that host pornography must implement “robust age verification” by a deadline of July 24, as declared by Ofcom, the UK’s Office of Communication.

The Online Safety Act (2023) comprises a series of regulations governing online content. Age-verification for pornography has been under development for several years in the UK, first attempted unsuccessfully in 2019 and reintroduced in 2022.

Once the law takes effect, pornographic websites are required to confirm the ages of their viewers using methods such as:

– Facial recognition (evaluating images or videos to determine age)
– Banking details
– Digital wallets
– Credit card age verification
– Email-based age estimation (assessing email patterns to gauge age)
– Mobile network operator verifications (validating age filters on phone numbers)
– Photo ID verification

It is the obligation of platforms to implement these checks.

Advocates for free speech raise privacy issues regarding age-verification regulations. Ofcom will work alongside the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to ensure compliance with data protection measures.

According to Ofcom, research indicates that eight percent of children aged 8-14 in the UK visited a pornographic site or app within a month, which includes three percent of 8-9 year-olds. Boys aged 13-14 are the most frequent visitors to such sites.

Eighty percent of adults favor age verification on online pornography sites to safeguard children, as per Ofcom research.

Aylo, the owner of Pornhub and other adult websites, has committed to adhere to the regulations but has not disclosed which verification method it will apply.

“For years Aylo has advocated for robust and enforceable age assurance methods to protect minors online, while also ensuring the safety and privacy of all users. The United Kingdom is the first nation to approach these priorities in a demonstrable way,” remarked Alex Kekesi, Pornhub’s vice president of brand and community, on behalf of Aylo.

“We view this as very encouraging,” stated Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s group director for online safety. “It contrasts with what they have implemented in various countries.”

On June 4, Aylo restricted access to Pornhub and its other platforms in France due to the nation’s age-verification regulations. The law was subsequently put on hold until it could be deemed legal under EU law, thus allowing Pornhub to resume operations in France.

This variation may result from Ofcom’s discussions with the pornography industry, as highlighted by both Griffiths and Kekesi.

“Ofcom has engaged with industry stakeholders and proposed a range of flexible age assurance methods that are less obtrusive than what we have seen in other regions, giving us the confidence to function within their guidelines,” Kekesi said. “Our discussions with Ofcom have been productive and solution-oriented.”

However, Kekesi pointed out that Aylo believes device-based filters are “the safest and most effective method for safeguarding children and upholding user privacy online.”

Legislation aimed at age verification has also surged in the U.S. Approximately one-third of states have passed age-verification laws, generally mandating sites with over one-third explicit content to have viewers submit government identification or undergo facial recognition scans to verify their age. In many instances, Pornhub has effectively restricted its operations in those states. The Supreme Court recently upheld Texas’s age-verification statute, setting a standard for similar legislation nationally.

Griffiths labeled this a “global challenge” and seeks to establish international norms regarding age verification.

Skeptics contend that age verification can be circumvented via software such as VPNs. A study from New York University indicated that age verification proves ineffective due to the widespread use of VPNs.

“If you have determined teenagers intent on bypassing the checks, similar to how they manage to get into pubs and bars to purchase alcohol, some of them will succeed,” Griffiths stated. “So do not assume this will be infallible.” Nonetheless, Ofcom’s research emphasizes that younger children often unintentionally stumble upon pornographic material and find it “just a click away.”

“We believe this will significantly impact those situations,” Griffiths concluded.