A landmark consultation paper has been released today that sets out government plans for compulsory age checks on all porn sites available in the UK.

The 44-page paper, Child Safety Online: Age Verification for Pornography, aims to stop the rise of children who have seen adult material, while trusting over-18s to largely get on with it.

For adults, that means porn will still be free (or paid-for) and available from all the usual outlets, although, as it will have to comply with the UK R18+ rating, critics claim it will be “watered down” compared to current offerings.

But whereas previous and largely hamstrung porn clampdowns targeted middle men – the ISPs and payment channels like Visa – this paper takes the battle to the door of the porn providers themselves, with the clear message, “conform, or we’ll hammer you with stiff fines”.

The plan will target the biggest free ‘tube’ sites – your PornHubs, Redtubes, etc – who have grudgingly accepted they must face age checks if they want access to the lucrative UK market.