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Original poster

Porn age checks - Surely a good thing?

289 replies

Vimtolady · 25/07/2025 07:36

Just read a ‘debate’ on the BBC News website about the pros and cons of age verification of porn websites. Weirdly I was verified for the first time myself last night (I am a porn user but not all the time) so was interested to read it.

j get that it was a debate but I honestly don’t see how anyone could object. Last night I wasn’t expecting to be verified but the process was simple, took about a minute and I don’t think I’d have easily been able to circumvent it. Obviously there are security concerns but no more so than with any other website.

I think these checks are great! My eldest DC is 13 so probably getting to (or at) the age when porn might become interesting to her, and this would make it much more difficult to access which would doubtless be a good thing, no?

Does anyone disagree?! I’d be interested to hear arguments against because I can’t really think of any and that makes me suspicious I’m being narrow minded.

OP posts:
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Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:20

skymagentatwo · 01/08/2025 17:03

The last 20 years has shown that many parents have become far too lazy and expect the government to step in and do parenting for them.

Older generations would have just removed the devices from their kids and made sure they were supervised correctly. Now days mummy and daddy stick their kids in front of a laptop tablet or a phone in their hands and leave them too it.

This new legislation is a complete joke and if parents are not tech savvy enough to monitor their own kids then they either need to learn of take these devices off them.

Kids are only exposed if you allow them too.

Show quote history

Not sure it’s possible to argue about whether previous generations would have been harder on an invention that hadn’t at the time been invented.

But if you’re concerned about parental responsibility I’d suggest that saying that ‘Kids are only exposed if you allow them to’ is a very dangerous thing to think in a world where all their mates have phones and where even innocent websites have inappropriate adverts and pop ups all over them.

OP posts:
Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:16

skymagentatwo · 01/08/2025 17:06

Utter tripe, every tech savvy kid will be around this in seconds, its just another block in the wall aimed at removed freedoms and controlling society.

What next block political opposition and speech you disagree with online or lock it beyond paywalls and keep hiking the cost of so called free speech.

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There are genuine moves to block political speech you disagree with. Like banning journalists from the White House for using the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’ or banning reporters from Gaza or suing the Wall Street Journal. And there are plenty of news sites locked behind paywalls (like The Telegraph and The Spectator, unlike The Guardian). This Act is none of those things.

Nobody is in favour of entirely unfettered free speech. Not even you. So it’s about degrees of restriction. If you want there to be no restrictions at all on kids accessing porn, then OK. But we disagree.

OP posts:
LoopyLoo1991 · 01/08/2025 17:13

Not when you want a quick fiddle before sleep and get confused with all this complicated crap 😑
Had to find another website.
I doesn't help that the camera on my phone is crap, so I just get failure on my ID age check thing. Load of bollocks as I expect all those under 20 will wizz through or bypass all these 🙄

Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:10

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 17:06

No, it's about restricting our civil liberties

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This is such conspiracy theory bullshit. From the same school as ‘mRNA vaccines have been sent to kill us all’.

Given that any form of access to any internet site requires handing over oodles of personal information to whatever internet company or phone company you’re contracted to, it seems mad to me that people object to putting a little hurdle in the way of my kids seeing women getting abused.

OP posts:
Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:07

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

Of course. But given the fact that the majority of people are porn users it’d be just as likely that I’d be able to see what floats their boat too! I’m not embarrassed. I’d be much more ashamed of preferring unfettered access to porn for all over an age check than I am over occasionally having a wank.

OP posts:
Gobacktotheworld · 01/08/2025 17:07

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 17:06

Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:00

The online safety act is specifically about that.

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No, it's about restricting our civil liberties

skymagentatwo · 01/08/2025 17:06

Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:00

The online safety act is specifically about that.

Show quote history

Utter tripe, every tech savvy kid will be around this in seconds, its just another block in the wall aimed at removed freedoms and controlling society.

What next block political opposition and speech you disagree with online or lock it beyond paywalls and keep hiking the cost of so called free speech.

skymagentatwo · 01/08/2025 17:03

Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:59

True. As can be seen over the last 20 years as our kids have had their rights not to be exposed to sex, violence and racism online gradually eroded in the name of free speech. Look how happy and cohesive a society it’s made us, and how kids’ mental health has improved 🙄

Show quote history

The last 20 years has shown that many parents have become far too lazy and expect the government to step in and do parenting for them.

Older generations would have just removed the devices from their kids and made sure they were supervised correctly. Now days mummy and daddy stick their kids in front of a laptop tablet or a phone in their hands and leave them too it.

This new legislation is a complete joke and if parents are not tech savvy enough to monitor their own kids then they either need to learn of take these devices off them.

Kids are only exposed if you allow them too.

Gobacktotheworld · 01/08/2025 17:03

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 17:00

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:58

This isn’t about protecting children though

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The online safety act is specifically about that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:59

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

True. As can be seen over the last 20 years as our kids have had their rights not to be exposed to sex, violence and racism online gradually eroded in the name of free speech. Look how happy and cohesive a society it’s made us, and how kids’ mental health has improved 🙄

OP posts:
EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:58

Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:57

Not if Spotify is allowing kids access to
music that glorified violence, which I presume is what it’s about.

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This isn’t about protecting children though

Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:57

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:53

Plenty of people have been asked to submit ID for Spotify. It's disgusting.

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Not if Spotify is allowing kids access to
music that glorified violence, which I presume is what it’s about.

OP posts:
Gobacktotheworld · 01/08/2025 16:54

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:53

Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:52

I use the internet all day every day, for everything from music to socials to news sites to general interest to sports, including Wikipedia. Have been asked for my details twice, both for porn. Nothing else.

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Plenty of people have been asked to submit ID for Spotify. It's disgusting.

Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:52

EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:48

The issue isn’t porn.

it’s the rest of the internet. We’re going to lose access to Wikipedia. You have to put your ID in for Spotify!

I use the internet all day every day, for everything from music to socials to news sites to general interest to sports, including Wikipedia. Have been asked for my details twice, both for porn. Nothing else.

OP posts:
EllieBelly18 · 01/08/2025 16:48

The issue isn’t porn.

it’s the rest of the internet. We’re going to lose access to Wikipedia. You have to put your ID in for Spotify!

Original poster
Vimtolady · 01/08/2025 16:41

I have used porn a couple of times since the checks came in. Maybe it’s because when you’re using porn you have a one track mind and are less risk-aware than normal but I did put my details in and don’t regret it.

It’s obviously far from foolproof, but I’m not au fair with VPNs etc so if I couldn’t validate myself I think I’d just do it without the porn. I’m sure many people are the same.

i haven’t had anything that I’ve tried to access blocked apart from porn. So it seems less restrictive than the ‘adult content’ filter I used to have on my phone that Apple give as an option.

OP posts:
Gobacktotheworld · 01/08/2025 14:15

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

Balloonhearts · 01/08/2025 12:51

I was round it by 10 minutes past midnight on the 24th! 😆 Fuck all that for a lark. Its literally pointless. The people it was designed to protect are for the most part, some of the most tech savvy. If I can circumvent it so quickly, so can they.

UsingAMansNameInAWomensWorld · 01/08/2025 12:35

These checks are already failing

Either telling people they aren't old enough because they "look too young" via the face scan

Or being tricked by screen caps

Or already asking for ID for content that doesn't need ID

rubicustellitall · 01/08/2025 12:30

I like porn and I don't mind the checks at all OP I support them. However I will give it 10 mins and someone will find a way round it! They always do.

Ggdsr · 01/08/2025 12:25

My ds is ashamed to sufferer from a horrible porn addiction in his teens. He wishes he never started. He's overcome it now