What was the point of the government hailing over 18 verification for open when there are literally thousands of sites still avaialble?

[mids2019]

Why does the government feel this was a worthwhile action when the internet is just to big to police? Some companies may have some age verification but there are millions of portals sharing content from each other so the age limit is quite simply pointless.

Would it be better to focus on toxic masculinity and good relationships for young people rather that trying to police the unpoliceable?

They saw how China controlled the Internet with the Great Firewall and thought "I want to be just like that bastion of free speech and human rights". And decided this would be the perfect thin end of the wedge. So they do this, it doesn't work, and they will spaff money up the wall developing a UK Great Firewall instead to "do the job properly".

Meanwhile 20,000 18+ video games have disappeared from Steam today because Visa/Mastercard are dictating what payments they will process aka what we spend our money on.

I suppose normal 18+ movies and romance novels with any heat level will be next and the same people will still encourage it all vicariously as "protecting the kids" because zealots always need a slogan.

You wouldn’t be able to police toxic masculinity content either. As with porn, kids will use VPNs and there’s the obvious debate of what constitutes toxic masculinity. For example are sites that show the people fighting in public for entertainment toxic masculinity? What if it’s women fighting and women watch it?

I suspect it’s a lack of knowledge about technology and being able to say “10,000 sites have age verification so we’re kept away from kids” sort of thing. A number makes things seem more impressive when we all know there’s probably 500,000 porn sites which can be accessed via vpn and kids will exchange the sites that don’t have age verification.

It makes a good headline and people think something is being done.
Plus it costs nothing.
Winner all round.
(Totally useless, of course but what the hell.)

It’s up to parents to guide, educate, monitor, challenge their teenagers (and younger) internet use.

People complain the state interferes with their choices too much, then expects the state to direct their ethics.

It sounds good and makes it look like they have taken action. Any kid can get round age verification with a VPN.

Isn’t it the case that only sites hosted in the UK can be forced to comply ? If I owned a UK hosted site then I’d move it overseas.

Agree with all the above. It makes the government look incompetent or completely unsavvy with tech.