LONDON — Major porn providers operating in the U.K., including Pornhub, have confirmed to Ofcom that they will bring in age checks by July 25, when the online watchdog’s Protection of Children’s Codes come into force.
Under the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which began coming into force this year, age assurance methods must be “highly effective” at determining whether a user is under 18. These could include open banking, photo ID matching, and facial age estimation, according to guidance set out by Ofcom in January.
“Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren’t suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking and gambling. But for too long children have only been one click away from harmful pornography online,” Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety, said Thursday.