PORN sites will be ordered to introduce photo ID matching or facial age estimation technology to guarantee its users are 18 or over.
Guidelines published today through regulator Ofcom will require platforms to be “very effective” in blocking young people from adult content until early 2025.
Measures including self-assessment of age and general warnings will no longer be sufficient.
But sites can simply scan credit cards or use cellphone carrier age controls, where networks automatically block young people’s pornography on their 5G.
Sites that don’t comply will face “enforcement action”, including fines.
The move follows the passage of the Online Safety Bill, which establishes sweeping new regulations related to social media and video content on the internet.
It also comes after years of campaigning by parliamentarians across parties to combat violence against girls, encouraged through graphic videos.
A study by England’s Children’s Commissioner found that the average age of young people viewing pornography for the first time is 13.
But nearly a quarter come across it aged 11 and 10 per cent as young as 9.
At the same time, 80% of young people say they have watched videos of degrading or painful sexual acts before the age of 18.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, said: “Pornography is too readily accessible to children online, and the new online safety laws are clear that must change.
“Our practical tips provide a number of strategies for ageing in a very effective way.
“We are confident that weaker strategies, such as allowing users to report their age, will meet this standard. “
While MPs welcomed the new pornography regulations, proponents of lax speech denounced the move, calling it a major privacy risk.
The Institute of Economic Affairs warned that this would “significantly increase the amount of sensitive information held by third parties. “
Giacomo Lev Mannheimer, a researcher at the Bruno Leoni Institute, said: “Poor content regulation is undermining the Internet as a centre of unprecedented freedom and innovation.
“Policymakers want to strike a balance in addressing illegal activities while protecting user privacy, freedom of expression, and virtual innovation. “
Ofcom has emphasised its commitment to protecting the right to privacy and the adult’s right to legal pornography.
The framework said all age assurance strategies will be subject to UK privacy laws, which are enforced through the Information Commissioner’s Office.
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/