Is this the end of pornhub and only fans

[janmarmay83]

So from July 2025 people will have to show robust proof of age.

Surely not many people will be happy to scan passport/ driving license info these sites

I think it's both. Kids are trading screenshots of porn in the playground. But for many children, their automatic response when they're curious about something is to Google it. You know what not to look up online if you dont want to see porn, but kids don't. When I was 14, an older boyfriend asked me for a blow job. I didn't know what that meant, so I Googled. That was before the days when choking, anal rape etc was the norm, but even the fairly vanilla stuff I saw was really upsetting to me and had long-term consequences.
A friend's 7yo DC recently Googled "how do you sex" because she was too embarrassed to ask her parents, and has genuinely been traumatised by the porn she viewed. Suddenly she's terrified of all men. Yes, her parents (and mine) should have had safe search settings enabled. But even those don't block everything.

And I suppose they only have to find it accidentally once. Even if it's upsetting, it's still very compelling, and I think once you've seen it, you start to look for it. Not always in a sexual way as an adult would understand it, but I was certainly fascinated by the difference between the women I saw on the screen and my own skinny, barely developed body. Porn was horrifying and fascinating to me, and once I had stumbled upon it I kept going back for more.

While parental controls are great, society has a responsibility to protect all children. Including those of feckless, negligent, and ill-informed parents.

This requirement will not just help protect children. It will protect adults too. Had been in place in 2022, Neil Parish might still be an MP.

I can’t stand this sort of counsel of despair- “we can’t prevent all children accessing these sites so why bother at all?” Clearly far fewer children will access the sites with these controls in place, even if some still manage it.

Anyone who says setting up a VPN is a difficult hurdle and kids won't know how to do it has absolutely no business being in this thread. You clearly have next to zero phone or computer skills if you think it's at all difficult.

That's the problem with this whole debate. Laws are being made by people who don't know how the internet works, to appease people who also don't know how the internet works. 🙁

In a disaster you'd be right to think that one saved is better than none saved. But in this case what level of failure will have rendered it all futile?
In other words how fewer is far fewer? Given this is a major piece of legislation that has taken up an inordinate amount of parliaments time, potentially has an impact on every one in the country and will be obsolete, if it isn't already, does preventing one child seeing porn make it a success?

I have no objection to age verification to stop kids accessing porn. (Although I find it strange that the age for accessing porn will be different from the age of consent for sex.)

I don't think it will be the death knell for internet porn and OnlyFans, and neither is the death of internet porn and OnlyFans something I'd wish for.

I remember similar criticism when the BBFC began to classify video tapes. They'll be in the house with it. They'll be shown it by older brothers or the wannabe cool kids etc.

That adults should have to show proof of adulthood to access pornography is fine by me. Same with booze and fags.

It's not perfect. It won't completely solve the problem. But it will be useful in limiting the age of viewers and strengthening parent's hands in kicking back.

Laws are being made by people who don't know how the internet works, to appease people who also don't know how the internet works

Agreed.

The kids that are old enough to have any interest in accessing porn will likely know far more about the internet, vpns, the dark web, Reddit, 4chan etc than the 70% of the current MPs who barely know how Twitter works.

Just adding for interest.

There are many threads on student websites and forums that explain in detail how to get around school and college web blockers.

I know pornhub isn't based in the UK. I have no idea of any others are? I'm guessing if there are any based in the UK they'll relocate very quickly

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjjkjy4p8o