More than three-quarters of Britons are not aware new online age-verification rules are set to be introduced in the UK.

It is hoped the long-delayed checks for commercial pornography websites, which are expected to come into force in April, will protect minors from accessing the material.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which classifies movies in the UK, will be the age verification regulator.

In a YouGov poll of 1,769 Britons – which included more than half who admitted to being regular pornography users – 76% said they were unaware of the incoming restrictions.


Two-thirds (67%) revealed they approve of the measures but only a third (34%) believe the so-called porn block will be effective.

Porn is going to get a lot more complicated from April on (Metro)

Under the rules, adults will have to prove they are of age to view the content, a move critics argue could have implications for the privacy.



To access pornographic sites, people will have to use one of a number of options to prove they are 18 or over, such as an over-the-counter-card they can buy from a shop or uploading ID documents online.

‘Adult content is currently too easy to access online so introducing age verification is a world-leading step forward to give parents greater peace of mind and ensure commercial pornographic websites act responsibly,’ Digital Minister Margot James MP has previously said on the matter.

Users will be required to confirm their age (Picture: Getty7 Images)

The government is preparing to release a white paper on a range of online harms, which is expected to include legislative measures to make social networks more responsible for the content hosted on their platforms.

How does the porn ban work?

Age verification systems will be put in place – including a ‘porn pass’ (2018 SOPA Images)

The ban on under-18s was approved as part of the Digital Economy Act last year, but the British Board of Film Censors had to come up with rules on how the age verification will work.

There will be several companies offering age verification systems, says Stuart Lawley, CEO of AVSecure, which will offer one system with a ‘kitemark’ style system to ensure the verification complies with the law. Lawley predicts the system will launch by April 15.

Lawley says that 60,000 shops in Britain will offer Age Verification cards (based on shopkeeper’s assessment), which should be on offer before April.

Lawley says: ‘The British Board of Film Censors has been appointed as the regulator – and we expect they’ll give sites 90 days notice to comply, so it’ll probably be in place by mid-April.

‘The BBFC will look at the methods age verification systems use to verify people are 18, so for instance, a name and address wouldn’t be enough – but a scan of a driving licence or a credit card and CVV number would be OK.’