Porn viewers will soon have to verify their age

Porn watchers will soon have to verify their age before they log onto adult sites – but critics fear it could leave them exposed to blackmail.

The Government is aiming to ensure by the end of next year that everyone viewing the explicit content is over the legal age of 18.

It is estimated one million children access pornography websites each month. 

An NSPCC study found half of secondary school pupils had watched online pornography, which experts warn gives them a warped view of sexual relationships.

Websites that fail to incorporate age checks will find themselves being blocked by internet service providers.

Talks are ongoing to IT company MindGeek, which will implement the verification system – but there are fears about the firm holding potentially sensitive information.

If the user database was hacked, as MindGeek site PornHub already has been, there are fears it could lead to a huge data leak, similar to that on adultery site Ashley Madison.

It is understood porn site users will have to provide details from their credit card, which cannot be legally issued to anyone under 18. Gambling websites use the same system of verification.

Legal officer at Open Rights Group Myles Jackman, told a panel: ‘We have been told by MindGeek that 20 to 25 million adult users will sign up to age verification by their estimation in the first month that age verification comes online.

An NSPCC study found half of secondary school pupils had watched online pornography, which experts warn gives them a warped view of sexual relationships

‘And as a consequence of that, on the basis that they do not have the greatest history of data security…there’s a high probability that those people are risking putting their private sexual proclivities in the public domain.’

The NSPCC’s study this summer found that 48 per cent of 11- to 16-year-olds had viewed online pornography, which experts say is highly damaging to children’s development and can cause lasting harm.

The new Government powers will apply to both free and paid-for websites set up by commercial porn companies, as well as sites hosted abroad.