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Almost half of pornography users have accessed adult sites without government-mandated age checks since the measure came into force, new research shows.
Since the law changed in July, 45% of 1,469 adults who use porn have gone on websites without age checks to avoid submitting their personal information, a poll by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation found.
The research also showed that 29% of pornography users had used a VPN to avoid age checks on websites that do require them.
A VPN – or virtual private network – can be used to mask a users’ location, allowing them to connect to the internet as though they were in a different country.
Now the charity is sounding the alarm, warning that adults who don’t want to share their identity are turning to riskier sites where they are more likely to see child abuse images.
Alexandra Bailey, the foundation’s head of psychology and an associate professor at the University of Roehampton, said: “These sites can expose people to harmful material, including illegal content depicting child sexual abuse.
“Even if you’re not looking for it, you could encounter it – and that can have serious, life-changing consequences.”
The age verification notice on an adult website. Pic: PA
The foundation, which aims to stop people viewing child abuse images, commissioned a survey of 3,724 adults in November.
The survey showed 39% of the people that had visited unregulated porn sites had reported seeing content that made them uncomfortable, and 40% had been put off visiting the same site again.
Rules changes introduced under the Online Safety Act (OSA)…
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