This raises concerns about how effective these regulations are and offers insight for Australia's upcoming social media restrictions for those under 16.
The Online Safety Act came into force mid-year with the aim of protecting children by making age verification mandatory for accessing pornography and other harmful content. Instead of delivering a safer browsing experience for young users, the law has pushed many toward virtual private networks (VPNs), which conceal users' locations and identities. The rapid growth in VPN use suggests many are avoiding the law entirely, which undermines its original purpose.
Passed in 2023 and implemented throughout 2024, the law requires platforms and websites to confirm users' ages before giving access to content considered harmful to children. This includes not only adult sites but platforms associated with material that promotes suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. As a result, many companies introduced ID scans and credit card checks, while some blocked UK users altogether. In the early months of the legislation, 6000 services had introduced verification systems and five million checks had already taken place.
However, the rollout has not gone smoothly for all. Some tech companies increased their verification efforts, such as adding facial recognition checks to enable voice chats in games. Others resisted. Open-source platforms and encyclopaedias have expressed concern that the requirements threaten contributors' privacy. Pornhub, one of the largest adult sites globally, reported a 77% drop in UK traffic—far more than government projections—suggesting users have moved to less regulated platforms.
The UK now faces a familiar pattern of enforcement being outpaced by evasion. While only a few formal investigations into non-compliant websites are under way, resistance is clear. Several global platforms have ignored penalties or refused to cooperate with authorities. Tech industry experts say the law's narrow focus fails to address the challenges of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. They argue that adding digital roadblocks does little to deter determined teenagers.
As Australia prepares for its own under-16 social media ban, starting 10 December, the UK's example highlights the costs of poor enforcement and redirection of users toward more dangerous parts of the internet, including the dark web. Education about digital safety, rather than just limiting access on platforms, increasingly appears to be essential.
