The UK’s ‘porn ban’ for under 18s has been delayed again

20 June 2019, 16:48

'Porn Ban'
'Porn Ban'. Picture: Getty: SOPA Images / Keeping Up With The Kardashians, E!
Rachel Finn

By Rachel Finn

The 'porn ban' for under 18s was supposed to start next month.

The UK’s plan to bring in a ‘porn ban’ for under 18s is looking set to be delayed for a second time.

Back in 2017, the UK government announced new rules which would internet users might have to prove their age before accessing porn online, but the introduction of the rules has been pushed back again, meaning it'll be six more months until they get officially introduced.

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The culture secretary Jeremy Wright told the House Of Commons today (20th June) that the delay is happening because the government failed to tell the EU about the plans, meaning the new rules do not follow European law in how legislation is passed.

The new rules would mean people would have to prove their age before accessing porn online, either by handing over info from official documents like driving licences or passports to a third party, or by buying ‘age verification cards’ sold in shops.

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They were originally supposed to bring in the rules in April 2018, before that was pushed back to 15th July this year, making this the second time the supposed start date of the new rules has been changed.

Age verification checks are intended to stop children accessing inappropriate content online, but the rules have faced some criticism, from how it will affect the incomes of those that work in the sex industry to how it’ll actually be enforced.

The laws, for example, wouldn’t apply to content on social media sites and could be easily sidestepped by under 18s using a VPN or those borrowing/stealing logins from older users. Others have raised concerns about privacy issues and the risk of people’s personal data and viewing habits being hacked.

It’s not clear yet exactly on what date the new rules will come in yet, but with having to buy a ‘porn pass’ from your local corner shop sounding like absolutely nobody’s idea of a good time, there are definitely positives to the ban being pushed back.