All porn sites to 'strictly' check age of users in UK from July.
All websites hosting pornographic material, including social media platforms, must introduce 'robust' age verification techniques, such as requiring photo ID or credit card verification for users in the UK by July.
The long-awaited guidance, published by regulator Ofcom, is drawn up under the Internet Safety Act (OSA) and aims to stop children from easily accessing online pornography.
Research shows that the average age at which young people first view explicit material online in the UK is 13 – with many being exposed to it much earlier.
"For too long, many online services that allow pornography and other harmful content have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services," said Ofcom director Melanie Dawes, adding: "Today, this is starting to happen."
Ofcom confirmed to the BBC that this meant that user-to-user services, such as social media platforms, would have to implement "very effective controls" - which in some cases could mean "preventing children from accessing the entire site". However, some pornographic sites and privacy advocates have warned that the move would be counterproductive, saying that introducing stronger age verification would push people into the "darker corners" of the internet. 'Ready to go'
The media regulator estimates that around 14 million people watch pornography online in the UK.
But it is so widely available that children's rights groups have raised concerns that children are viewing it at a young age – one in ten children see it before the age of nine, according to a survey by the Children's Commissioner.
"As age controls start to be put in place in the coming months, adults will start to notice a change in the way they access certain online services," Dame Melanie said.
The rules also require services that publish their own pornographic content – including AI-generated tools – to start introducing age controls immediately.
Age verification platform Yoti has called the technology "essential" to creating safe spaces online. "It is important that age verification is implemented on all porn sites of all sizes, to create a level playing field and provide age-appropriate access for adults," said Julie Dawson, head of regulations and policy.
However, Aylo, the company behind the website Pornhub, told the BBC that this type of age verification was "ineffective, random and dangerous".
The company said that pornography use had changed significantly in the US state of Louisiana after age verification checks came into effect, with traffic to its website falling by 80% in the state.
"These people haven't stopped looking for porn, they've just migrated to the darker corners of the internet that don't require users to verify their age," it said.
"In effect, the laws have made the internet more dangerous for adults and children."
Companies get clarification
Ofcom has published what it calls a "non-exhaustive" list of technologies that can be used to verify age, which includes:
It also stipulates that pornographic content should not be accessible to users until they have completed age verification. Other age verification companies have reacted positively to the news.
"The regulator's long-awaited guidance on age assurance means that adult content providers now have the clarity they need to put their houses in order and put in place robust and reliable methods to keep explicit material away from underage users," said Lina Ghazal, head of regulatory and public affairs at Verifymy.
But privacy group Big Brother Watch warned that many age verification methods can be overlooked and should not be seen as a panacea.
"Children need to be protected online, but many technological methods of age verification are ineffective and pose additional risks to children and adults, including security breaches, privacy intrusions, errors, digital exclusion and censorship," said director Silkie Carlo.
"We must avoid any digital identity system for the internet that removes online privacy and fails to keep children safe," she added.