Porn-blocker legislation dropped by ministers
Posted by Phillip Dolby on 25th November 2019
Devastating news for family values campaigners this week.
The government has dropped a plan to use strict age verification checks to stop under-18s viewing porn online.
Ministers said the policy, which was originally set to launch in April 2018, would “not be commencing” after repeated delays, and fears it would not work.
The so-called the porn blocker - a part of the Digital Economy Act (2017) - would have forced porn providers to verify users’ ages or be banned in the UK.
The idea aimed to stop youngsters “stumbling across” inappropriate content online when using their devices.
However, critics warned many under-18s would have found it relatively easy to bypass the restriction using virtual private networks, which disguise their location, or could simply turn to porn-hosting platforms not covered by the law, such as Reddit or Twitter.
Likewise, platforms which host pornography on a non-commercial basis - meaning they do not charge a fee or make money from adverts - would not have been affected by the ban.
It seems like the government has sadly given up on an inspired strategy to keep young people safe from the damaging impact of porn - even if it is an imperfect plan.
The need for it is obvious. According to research carried out by the British Board of Film Classification - which gives movies their UK age certificates - children as young as seven or eight are watching or stumbling across pornography.
The majority of young people’s first time viewing such material was accidental, with over 60% of children aged 11-13 who had seen porn saying their viewing of it was “unintentional.”
Children surveyed described feeling “grossed out” and “confused” by what they had seen - particularly those who were under the age of 10.
The report also looked into the effects of of porn on young people. Some 41% of young people who knew about pornography agreed watching it made people less respectful of the opposite sex.
Girls in particular spoke of their fears aggressive depictions of sex would be seen as ‘normal’ by young male viewers of porn, and thereafter copied in real life sexual encounters.
This data is troubling, to say the least. And the lack of awareness amongst parents is also concerning.
Three quarters (75%) of parents - utterly oblivious - felt their child would not have seen pornography online. But more than half (53%) of their children said they had in fact seen it.
When this issue of a blocker being implemented or not is the order of the day - it’s so important to remember the impact of this material on the lives of the young and innocent.
Something has to be done - and quickly - to protect young lives from being tarnished by this content - which doctors have cited to be as addictive as class A drugs.
In the words of Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
