The Digital Economy Act is coming… but most people aren’t ready

The Digital Economy Act, expected later this year, means you’ll soon be required to prove you’re 18 or over to access adult content online. Age verification is a child protection measure, introduced as part of the government’s ambition to make the UK the safest place to be online.

It’s too easy for children to stumble across adult content and potentially harmful and explicit material online. In the past three years, over two thousand children in the UK have contacted Childline to say they felt disturbed after viewing adult content online.

But what do people think about this upcoming change in law and do they have any concerns about proving their age online?

The results are in

Our research revealed that over 50% of people are unaware of this upcoming change in law, and 60% believe that adults should have to prove they’re 18 or over to watch adult content.

But while the majority supported the introduction of age verification, people also expressed some concerns about how they will be asked to prove their age.

• 36% are worried about the security and privacy of their information.
• 28% are worried they will have to share lots of information just to prove they’re 18 or over.
• 27% are concerned about not being able to prove they’re 18 or over anonymously.

Given these concerns, it comes as no surprise that less than 5% of adults would be happy to use their credit card to prove their age and only 11% would be willing to use a form of ID.

With data breaches on the rise, we believe that you shouldn’t have to share sensitive information, like your credit card details, just to prove you’re 18 or over. As new laws come into play, you should feel in control of the information you share.

The Digital Economy Act isn’t to deter people from accessing adult content online, but simply to ensure that only adults can.