“If I were advising Rishi Sunak I would be telling him that introducing these age verification checks is a no-brainer.”
There is widespread public support for a new age verification system to prevent under 18’s accessing porn online, a new poll reveals.
The People Polling for GB News asked whether websites should have an age verification system in place – and a massive 78% agreed.
Only 5% of the public disagreed, and 17% said they “didn’t know” or “preferred not to say”.
The poll also found broad agreement across party lines. Eighty-four per cent of Conservative voters agreed that pornography websites should have an age verification system, and 80% of Labour voters agreed.
Commenting, politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin, said:
“What this shows is there is widespread public support for the efforts underway in Parliament to implement an age verification system so that under-18s cannot access pornography online.
“Nearly eight in ten British adults support such change and so to me, at least, this looks like a clear vote winner for the Government. If I were advising Rishi Sunak I would be telling him that introducing these age verification checks is a no-brainer.”
17 states in the US have now passed or introduced bills to require age verification for access to porn sites in order to protect children.
Details of the public’s view on this comes amid reports that so-called ‘porn passports’ are also set to be introduced in Europe in a world-first move.
France says it is hoping to tackle the issue of minors being exposed to pornography by introducing an age verification system, with some questioning whether the UK will follow suit. Currently, users only have to click a button saying whether or not they’re 18 – the legal age for pornography consumption. However, with the new measures in place, viewers would have to install a government phone application in order to receive an official digital certification and code proving their age.
The age of consent is 16. Why restrict for under-18s and not under-16s?