"Stop children using VPNs to watch porn", UK politicians told
5 days ago
- #VPN Regulation
- #Online Safety
- #Child Protection
- Children's commissioner for England calls for age verification on VPNs to prevent children from bypassing porn site age checks.
- VPNs allow users to disguise their location online, circumventing the Online Safety Act's age verification requirements for adult content.
- A government spokesperson states VPNs are legal tools for adults and there are no plans to ban them.
- Report finds an increase in children accidentally encountering pornography online, with some exposed as young as six.
- Over half of surveyed 16 to 21-year-olds had viewed strangulation in pornography as children, prompting calls to ban such depictions.
- 44% of respondents saw pornography depicting rape of a sleeping person during childhood.
- The Online Safety Act now mandates age verification tools for pornography, but concerns remain about platform algorithms exposing children to harmful content.
- Former porn addict Josh Lane shares his experience of isolation and shame due to addiction, highlighting long-term impacts.
- Internet Watch Foundation CEO warns that exposure to violent sexual imagery normalizes harmful behaviors and is linked to sexual violence against women.
- Government emphasizes enforcement and fines for platforms pushing VPN workarounds to children, rather than banning VPNs outright.