Visits to porn sites have plummeted dramatically due to the new age verification rules. Will the same happen in Spain?
The United Kingdom wants to curb pornography consumption . At the end of July, the country implemented a pioneering measure requiring websites to verify that users are over 18 before allowing them access to adult content , thereby protecting children and adolescents from pornography.
According to data shared by the British regulator Ofcom, a high percentage of minors regularly access adult content, even at ages as young as eight. Therefore, to eradicate this type of consumption, this regulation, driven by the Online Safety Act , requires platforms—such as Pornhub—to implement strict age verification systems . And as expected, with the arrival of this measure, "the number of people in the UK visiting pornography sites has decreased dramatically."
This is according to the BBC , revealing that "data analytics firm Similarweb said leading adult site Pornhub lost more than a million visitors in just two weeks ." This pornographic site is the most visited in the UK, but since the introduction of age controls, it has suffered a 47% drop in traffic between July 24 and August 8.
Additionally, over the same time period, XVideos saw traffic drop by 47% , while OnlyFans saw its traffic drop by over 10% . However, the BBC notes that “some smaller, less regulated porn sites saw traffic increase,” noting that some UK citizens know how to bypass verification systems .
As we've discussed at 20bits , VPNs have become internet users' best friend, as they hide their real IP address and temporarily replace it with another one , corresponding to the location of the VPN server they're connecting to. This way, visited websites believe users are in another country. Therefore, following this "trick," TechRadar reported that "VPN subscriptions in the UK have skyrocketed since the new age verification controls were implemented." However, despite the fact that it's legal to use a VPN to bypass these controls, the popular download has sparked a debate about whether authorities should end up banning its use .
For the time being, UK Science Secretary Peter Kyle insists there are no plans to ban VPNs, but admitted during an interview with Sky News that the government will closely examine the uses of these virtual private networks because "there are people who are finding ways to circumvent the legislation."
What measures does the United Kingdom use to prevent access to pornographic content?Until recently, minors could access any porn site by clicking the 'I'm over 18' button, but with the introduction of new regulations, this has become significantly more complicated due to the new measures employed by adult websites:
- Facial recognition : The user has to show his or her face in a photograph or video to estimate his or her age.
- Bank Verification : This service accesses bank information and confirms whether the account holder is of legal age.
- Bank card verification : Those over 18 are only allowed one credit card, so this is another age verification system.
- Age verification via network operator : The verification system checks that there are no age filters applied to the smartphone.
- Digital identity services : in the European Union this would be eID.
- Verify age via email : The user provides an email address and the technology analyzes the online services they have used.
- Verify age with photos : Users must upload an image of their ID and a normal photo to verify their age.
In Spain, the average age of first access to pornography is between eight and nine years old , with 50% of children aged 11 to 13 having consumed this content, according to data collected by the Dale Una Vuelta (Take It Around) association, which has been calling for restrictions on access to these types of websites for several years. Furthermore, according to the organization, consuming pornography at a very early age can lead to catastrophic consequences, such as addiction to this type of content, violence, or sexual dysfunction.
Therefore, to prevent early consumption of pornography, the Spanish government announced last summer a new application, called Cartera Digital Beta , to control the age of those who access adult content sites and, therefore, eliminate minors' access to them.
However, pornography consumption among young people and minors continues to grow , as the Ministry of Equality reveals in an infographic that 68.5% have watched porn for the first time before the age of 15, three out of ten young people watch pornography every week , and 50% consider themselves to be watching too much adult content. Therefore, if Spain wants to end this type of consumption, it may follow in the footsteps of the United Kingdom .
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