London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Father calls for pornography sites to require proof of age

Father calls for pornography sites to require proof of age

A father and a student campaigner are seeking a High Court hearing to consider whether the government should tighten youngsters' access to porn.

Ioannis Dekas and Ava Vakil want the government to implement proof of age for access to pornography promised in the 2017 Digital Economy Act.

It comes as new research suggests the majority of 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK have recently seen pornography.

The government is currently preparing a new Online Harms Bill.

This bill would go further than the Digital Economy Act, giving the watchdog, Ofcom, powers to block access to online services - including social media platforms and search engines - which fail to do enough to protect children.

It is expected to be put before Parliament later this year.

Ioannis Dekas, a father of four sons, became concerned after he found one of his boys had accessed pornography.

He said this was a wake-up call for him and his wife as parents, making them confront the potential danger to their son and the impact on them all as a family.

"In the two weeks leading up to this moment, we'd noticed a drastic change in his behaviour, withdrawal, a sense of anger towards his siblings, we could sense frustration in his life."

When he and his wife talked to their son, they found he was under peer pressure to be familiar with the language of porn.

"What I don't often hear is how to deal with this. What happens in your household when this happens? With the availability, it's not a matter of if, but of when."

Mr Dekas wants the government to put in place the age verification requirements set out in part three of the Digital Economy Act - a law that was passed in 2017.

However, in 2019, the then Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said the measures would no longer go ahead, with efforts instead focused on the government's wider Online Harms Bill.

But Mr Dekas says that this bill still has to be brought before Parliament, and may be delayed if detailed regulations need to be drawn up.

In the meantime, children are being exposed to pornography, he says, when they could be protected using the Digital Economy Act's full powers.

Ava Vakil is also calling on the government to enforce age restrictions on porn sites

Mr Dekas is bringing the challenge jointly with 20-year-old University of Oxford student Ava Vakil, whose letter about what she described as a culture of sexual violence in some schools went viral online.

Ms Vakil told the BBC: "I think porn is everywhere, and growing up as a young woman I've seen the influence of that.

"I think young men are ingesting pornography online to an extent that people aren't aware of.

"I'm sure everyone, and particularly young women, can look back on so many conversations they've had with boyfriends and male friends and think 100% it was impacted by porn."

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it would not be appropriate to comment on legal proceedings.

A spokesman said the government was committed to protecting children from harmful content.

Porn via social media


The legal action comes as research from City, University of London found many teenagers had seen porn.

Prof Neil Thurman conducted a survey of more than 1,000 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK, using a panel from the specialist market research company Youthsite.

While 63% said they came across porn on social media, 47% said they had also visited porn websites.

The research suggests the government's approach of widening the range of legislation to more platforms is right, Prof Thurman said.

More worryingly, 46% had used technology that disguises identity when browsing online, such as a virtual private network, and which could allow evasion of age verification.

However, Prof Thurman said this was not a reason not to regulate access.

"It doesn't mean we shouldn't bring in legislation," he said. "Firstly I think it would reduce accidental exposure, particularly for younger children and teenagers, and it does send a signal, not present at the moment, that they are accessing something inappropriate for their age group."

Vanessa Morse, head of the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, said there was a "wealth of evidence" to show that viewing pornography led to harmful sexual attitudes and behaviours.

"The government's own research, which it published this year, showed an association between porn consumption and real world violence against women. It's no surprise considering one in eight porn videos contains sexual violence," she said.

"Pornography has made violent acts in sex completely normalised."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×