Children as young as eight are watching online pornography, a UK regulator has warned as pressure mounts on adult websites to tighten age verification measures.
In their latest report, online regulator Ofcom has unveiled that an average of eight per cent of eight to fourteen-year-olds in the UK have visited a pornographic content service within a month.
Services likely to be accessed by children, such as online adult services, have until 25 July to implement more robust age verification measures – laid out under the government’s Online Safety Act, a regulatory framework to make internet services safe for its users.
Major porn providers in the UK such as Pornhub – the most visited pornographic service in the UK – RedTube and YouPorn have confirmed that they will implement effective age checks by the deadline.
Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety said: “Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren’t suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling.
“But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online.”
The average percentage of children visiting adult sites within a month increases with age, starting at three per cent for eight to nine year olds, seven per cent for ten to 12 and 15 per cent for 13 to 14 year olds.
A total of four percent of eight to 14 year-olds frequented Pornhub in the last month, and is higher amongst boys, standing at 11 per cent compared to girls at six percent.
Social worker Sarah, from west London, works closely with children and families, and is also a mother to an 11-year-old daughter.
The mother believes children within the ages of eight to 14 should have limited access to electronic devices until they have reached a certain level of maturity, and has currently confiscated all devices from her daughter for her online safety.
She said: “The ages of eight to 14 are critical stages in development, and with puberty, there is a natural curiosity. However, it’s not always possible for children to have those conversations with a trusted adult.
“I think it’s a natural instinct to turn to Google and ask these questions. You can imagine how a vulnerable child may find themselves seeking answers in a dangerous place online.”
For Sarah, exposure to adult content at a young age can only have a harmful impact on children: “By visiting these pornographic websites, children will be exposed to unrealistic expectations of themselves, and what relationships and intimacy should look like.
“It may cause them to feel insecure once they enter an intimate relationship.”
Featured image credit: Free to use via the Unsplash license
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