More than half of child abuse cases in England and Wales are now committed by other children, amid the online pornography epidemic. ‘Violent porn’National Police Lead for Child Protection Ian Critchley said the problem is being exacerbated due to children’s accessibility to smartphones and the “ease in which violent pornography is accessible to boys”. Age verificationIn December, Ofcom published draft guidance to make it much harder for under-18s to access pornography websites, in keeping with the requirements of the new Online Safety Act. In contrast, Ofcom emphasised that “self-declaration of age”, “general terms, disclaimers or warnings” would fall foul of its requirements. Firms that fail to comply could be fined up to £18m or 10% of their global annual revenue.

Source: The Times January 17, 2024 13:00 UTC