UK law slashes porn site views - could Spain be next?
The United Kingdom has implemented a measure to prevent minors under 18 from accessing pornographic content
The United Kingdom has just rolled out a tough new rule aimed at keeping children away from online pornography. At the end of July, the country introduced a pioneering law that forces adult websites to check whether users are over 18 before they can view explicit material.
The goal is simple: protect children and teenagers from content that regulators say they should not be seeing.
Figures from the British regulator Ofcom show that many minors regularly access porn, with some starting as young as eight years old. To put a stop to this, the new regulation, which comes under the Online Safety Act, obliges platforms such as Pornhub to put strict age checks in place.
And the effect has been immediate. According to the BBC, "the number of people in the UK visiting pornography sites has decreased dramatically."
The broadcaster reported that "data analytics firm Similarweb said leading adult site Pornhub lost more than a million visitors in just two weeks." Between July 24 and August 8, Pornhub traffic dropped by 47%.
Other platforms took a hit as well, with XVideos down by the same amount and OnlyFans losing more than 10% of its visitors. On the other hand, some smaller sites without strong controls saw their audience grow, since some users know how to get around the new system.
How are websites checking age in the UK?
Before the new rules, most porn sites let anyone in with a simple click on the ‘I am over 18’ button. Now, things are very different. Adult websites must use one or more of the following systems:
- Facial recognition, where a photo or video of the user is analysed to estimate age
- Bank verification, which confirms through account details that the person is an adult
- Credit card verification, since only people over 18 can have one
- Network operator checks, which verify that no age restrictions are set on a mobile device
- Digital identity services, such as the EU’s eID
- Email analysis, which checks the services linked to an email address to estimate age
- ID and photo upload, where users must provide proof of identity alongside a current photo
Could Spain follow suit?
In Spain, the figures are also concerning. According to the Dale Una Vuelta association, the average age at which children first see porn is just eight or nine, and half of children between 11 and 13 have already been exposed to this type of content.
The organisation warns that early consumption can have serious consequences, including addiction, violent behaviour and sexual dysfunction.
To try and address this, the Spanish government announced last summer that it was working on an app called Cartera Digital Beta. The idea is to use the app to verify the age of users before they can enter adult websites, cutting off access for minors.
But despite these efforts, consumption among young people is still on the rise. Figures from the Ministry of Equality show that 68.5% of young people watched porn for the first time before turning 15. Three in ten say they watch it every week and half admit they are consuming too much.
With numbers like these, Spain may well decide to follow the United Kingdom’s example.
Image: Pornhub
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