Beginning last week, the United Kingdom has started requiring purveyors of online porn to check IDs—and it's already reverberating beyond adult websites. For example, Bluesky—a general-interest social media platform and not what most people would call an "adult website" by any means—will begin requiring U.K. users to prove they're adults or otherwise find direct messaging and certain content inaccessible.
Platforms with U.K. users are now required to block minors from being able to see not just porn but "self-harm, suicide and eating disorder content," according to Ofcom, the U.K.'s communication regulatory agency. The requirement is part of the U.K.'s Online Safety Act of 2023. This far-reaching law imposes rules on an array of digital services, including social media platforms, search engines, video-sharing platforms, direct messaging tools, dating apps, message boards, and more. As a part of this bill, online platforms publishing content that authorities deem "harmful to children" must "introduce robust age checks."
