PORNHUB has revealed its UK viewership on the website has gone down by a whopping 77 per cent since rigorous age checks were introduced.
Millions of Brits are now forced to pass booze-style age checks to get access to sexually explicit content under the Online Safety Act.
It means one will have to prove they are over 18 years of age – either by showing ID or scanning their face with a phone.
And it affects any websites showing porn, or content linked to self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders.
This includes social media apps, too.
Since the rule came into effect in July, Pornhub – the most visited pornsite in the world – claims to have lost over 77 per cent of its viewership in the UK.
Data from Google shows searches for the site have decreased by almost half since the law came into effect.
Data from the Office of Communications (Ofcom) shows clicks on pornography sites in general have gone down by one third since July.
But these numbers do not necessarily reflect the real truth.
It’s possible to skirt the ban using a VPN, or Virtual Private Network.
These easily downloaded apps scramble your internet data to boost your privacy from online spies.
But they also let you trick websites and apps into thinking you’re logging on from another country.
Ofcom insiders admit there’s no way to stop this – but that doesn’t make the new rules redundant.
The media watchdog said the primary objective was to stop children from being able to “easily stumble across porn without searching for it”.
Shockingly, around 8 per cent of children aged eight to 14 have accessed online porn in a given month, Ofcom says.
Boys are more likely to visit than girls (at 19 per cent vs 11 per cent).
Now Ofcom can crack down on this behaviour by blocking youngsters from accidentally stumbling on all kinds of adult content – not just porn.
“One is pornography. The other one is making sure that we’ve got highly effective age assurance in place for things that aren’t illegal but are highly harmful for children,” Griffiths said, speaking to The Sun.
“So that could be suicide content, self-harm, or eating disorders.
“And we will be starting an enforcement programme next week if there are websites dedicated to that that haven’t got proper age gates in place for midnight tonight.”
New checks
There are three main ways that Brits will be asked to prove their age.
The first one is called an “age estimation”.
This can work by scanning your face with an approved third-party service like Yoti or Persona.
Or it could be estimating your age with an email check that examines if it’s been linked to a household utility bill.
The second option is linking back to info that’s held on you.
For instance, it could be checking with your bank or mobile phone company – both of which would already know if you’re an adult or not.
A simple computer handshake works out if you’re a child or not, and then you can be cleared for access if you get the go-ahead.
The third method is sharing an official document – a bit like showing your ID at the till in a supermarket.
You might be asked to show your passport or driver’s licence online.
Is it safe?
This might all sound like a privacy nightmare, especially if you’re watching X-rated content online.
But the adult websites don’t actually get the personal info about you.
And the age-checking services aren’t learning what kind of content you’re trying to view either.
The age-check is compliant with data protection, and simply gives the adult website a “yes” or “no” for your account.
You’ll remain anonymous and won’t have your online habits linked to your identity when you do oe of these checks.
Griffiths noted: “The key bit of information that’s needed is purely: is this user a child or not?”
Companies are able to choose the method they want – but they can’t opt out.
If they breach the new rules, they face massive fines.
“These can lead, in the end, to fines of up to 10% of qualifying global revenue for these companies,” Griffiths said.
“So there’s real teeth that sit behind this.”
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The maximum fine is £18 million – but a company can be charged an even higher sum of 10% of global revenue.
This is aimed at targeting giant web companies who may be in breach of the rules.
The schocking stats
Latest figures show the scale of adult content consumption online…
Ofcom stats:
- Around 8% children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month.
- 15% of 13–14-year-olds accessed online porn in a month.
- Boys aged 13-14 are the most likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (19% vs 11%).
- Our research tells us that around three in ten (29%) or 13.8m UK adults use porn online.
- Pornhub is the most used site in the UK – Ofcom research says 18% (8.4m) visited it in one month.
Children’s Commissioner stats:
Of the 64% who said that they had ever seen online pornography:
- The average age at which children first see pornography is 13. By age nine, 10% had seen pornography, 27% had seen it by age 11 and half of children who had seen pornography had seen it by age 13.
- We also find that young people are frequently exposed to violent pornography, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sex acts; 79% had encountered violent pornography before the age of 18.
- Pornography is not confined to dedicated adult sites. We found that Twitter was the online platform where young people were most likely to have seen pornography.
