Thread by @jmgillies

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A new Savanta poll has found that 8 in 10 UK adults want the Government to implement age verification controls for access to online pornography.

The same proportion of adults think there should be an age limit of 18 for access to pornography sites.

Read about the full findings here 👇 care.org.uk/news/2021/06/p…

The news comes amidst growing criticism of UK Ministers for failing to implement legislation approved by Parliament in 2017 to usher in age checks and regulation of porn sites.

CEO of @careorguk Nola Leach comments:

“In recent weeks, parliamentarians, charities and women’s groups have urged the government to restrict access to online pornography sites by implementing age verification. This polling shows that the public overwhelmingly agrees.

“At present, children across the UK can access porn sites easily. When they do, they are exposed to a catalogue of vile, degrading, and violent content. Practically nothing has been done by legislators to prevent access to commercial sites.

“Worse than this, the UK Government is refusing to implement age verification measures approved by parliament in 2017 that are sitting on the statute book ready to be brought into force.

“After this study, the writing is surely on the wall for Ministers. They must act in the interests of children and introduce this safeguard without delay.”

DUP Peer Lord Morrow is among those at Westminster calling on the government to act. Last week, he introduced member’s legislation to force Ministers to implement age verification and regulation of commercial pornography sites.

Commenting on the poll, Lord Morrow said: “This poll puts beyond doubt that the Government’s decision not to implement age checks via Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act doesn’t sit well with the public.

“My member’s legislation – the Digital Economy Act (Implementation Part 3) Bill – would require the Government to implement Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act, which Parliament passed in 2017, no later than June 2022".

“I call on parliamentarians of all stripes to row in behind my legislation. It is past time we acted to protect children from pornographic websites.”

The government is facing a legal challenge over failure to implement Part 3. Father Ioannis Dekas and student campaigner Ava Vakil are claimants in judicial review proceedings announced in May (Ava Vakil pictured here).

Paul Conrathe solicitor with Sinclairslaw which is bringing the legal action, said: “Despite it being the clear will of Parliament that Age Verification should be put in place as soon as possible back in 2017, the Government have failed to act.

"It is astonishing that faced with clear evidence that online violent pornography is widely accessed by children and harmful to them the Government dithers and prevaricates.

"The findings of this poll vividly show the depth of concern felt by people at the harm that is being experienced by children and the need for Age Verification.”

A recent motion in the Scottish Parliament supported by 14 MSPs urged UK Ministers to enforce Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act.

Labour MSP @RhodaGrant has said: “How we keep our children safe online should be an absolute priority, so the failure to implement Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 is a terrible reflection on the UK Government.

“Access to some of the most violent forms of illegal pornography normalises violence against women and girls at a young age, and will perpetuate the scandal of women in our society suffering abuse, violence and sexual attacks.

“The long list of those calling for the implementation should be a wake up call that this legislation needs to be enacted and enforced immediately, and I wholeheartedly support this call to action.”

In May, a letter to the Prime Minister from Baroness Floella Benjamin signed by 60 groups and individuals including children's charities and women's groups warned that the failure to implement Part 3 has become "unsustainable".

The letter cited evidence that pornography consumption is fuelling sexual violence against women and girls, brought into sharp relief after the tragic death of Sarah Everard. It stated:

“While it is too early to talk in depth about what happened to Sarah Everard, it is clear from the outpouring of stories from women across the country following her death that a very large proportion of attacks on women are sexually motivated.

“We have also witnessed the impact of the 'Everyone's Invited' website, with over 10,000 rape culture testimonies and revelations about its impact on children through the recent Centre for Social Justice report.”

“In this context, given the growing body of research demonstrating a clear association between porn consumption and a higher incidence of violence against women and girls, the failure to implement Part 3, in the absence of alternative protections, has become unsustainable.”

Huge pressure on UK Ministers to respond to these calls and the clear majority view of the public that protection for children is needed.

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