A survey has found that most people believe the Government should do more to protect children from online pornography.
In a poll of more than 2,000 UK adults for Christian Action, Research, and Education (CARE), over eighty per cent of respondents were in favour of Westminster legislating on access to porn sites according to age.
In March, the Government admitted that its proposed Online Safety Bill will not require commercial porn websites to implement mandatory age-verification checks for their users.
Easily accessible
The Savanta:ComRes opinion poll also found that almost eighty per cent of people in the UK agreed with the statement: “There should be an age limit of 18 years for access to online pornography.”
A recent report has revealed the extent to which violent and criminal pornography can be easily accessed by children on the most popular porn sites.
The report, published in the British Journal of Criminology, found 8,000 titles describing physical aggression or forced sex acts on the homepages of the three biggest porn sites – many of which were free to view with no age restrictions.
Safeguards removed
Safeguards brought into law in the Digital Economy Act 2017, but never implemented, are set to be removed under the new Online Safety Bill.
The Bill will instead target social media, where children can stumble upon pornography.
Commercial websites will not be covered automatically, as new checks will only apply to those with user-generated content.
‘Time to act’
Responding to the poll’s findings, CARE Chief Executive Nola Leach said: “At present, children across the UK can access porn sites easily.
“When they do, they are exposed to a catalogue of vile, degrading, and violent content. Practically nothing has been done by legislators to prevent access to commercial sites.”
She added: “After this study, the writing is surely on the wall for Ministers. They must act in the interests of children and introduce this safeguard without delay.”
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