12 Brits Share How Online ID Checks Changed Their Porn Habits

Person on laptopRecently, porn providers in the UK have been told to implement age-verifying technology for their users, including, sometimes, ID checks.The idea behind the change was partly to prevent children from accessing pornography. Seven in 10 Brits support age verification for platforms that may host harmful content (though only 14% say they’d be happy to provide their own proof of age for porn sites).But Marcus Johnstone of PCD Solicitors previously told HuffPost UK that the law may “lead to teenagers attempting to access adult material on the increasing number of smaller, more fringe websites that are not subject to the same internal safeguards as the porn giants”.He is one of many detractors. People have cited “glaring privacy risks”, “intrusive” oversight, and a general lack of internet “freedom” when criticising the Online Safety Act.Which makes a post shared to r/AskUK by u/According_Sundae_917 an interesting read: “Has [the ID check] changed your ‘personal habits’, and have you learned anything about yourself?” they asked. Here are some of the top replies:1) “I haven’t found it has changed my habits dramatically, as I only used visual porn occasionally, but I find I miss the ease of accessing it when I want to.” “Porn for me was a simple way to decompress and a way to keep things interesting as I get bored with the same methods to get off (audio porn/erotica).“Will I use it again, either via VPN or age verification? Maybe. I figure my info is out there anyway in most forms, but for now, I can manage no issue. The world won’t end!” Credit:u/Sugarlips_802) “Occasionally, I click on a Reddit profile to be nosy, and I find that I can’t [thanks to age-restricted content on the page].”“I shrug and forget about it 10 seconds later.” Credit:u/Agreeable-Foot-4272“The only annoying thing about this is sometimes I’ll accidentally click someone’s profile and then it’ll come up NSFW and boot me back to the homepage, so I’ve completely lost the post and where I was on it,” u/Ifyoocanreadthishelp replied.3) “I just found new sites which don’t ask for ID.” Credit:u/bynobodyspecial4) “I have noticed that the slight barrier to watching it has made me watch it a lot less because, like you, I was watching randomly on impulse without anything to stop me.” “It’s the same principle as keeping chocolates in a drawer in the kitchen as opposed to at your desk, if they’re at your desk it’s very easy to binge chocolate through the work day, but if you have to get up and go to the kitchen every time (and you only get one each time) you will just eat a lot less overall.” Credit:u/unclear_warfare5) “I don’t bother, but I never really did before anyway.”“I normally read erotica, which isn’t blocked at all.” Credit:u/Gravitani“My Danielle Steel collection has surged!” u/porridge_pyjamas also said.6) “I didn’t actually change straight away – I just flicked on my VPN. However, at the start of September, I stopped watching porn for personal reasons, and I completely agree about it being an impulse thing.” “I would get kinda bored or see something vaguely sexual on Reddit or Instagram and then go look at some [porn]. Now I’ve cancelled my VPN so that I can’t access it, and... now it’s not actually available to me, I just don’t look at it.“I’m out of the habit of doing so and don’t miss it.” Credit:u/artrine_9) “Free porn has always given me the ick, bring back dirty mags!” “I never really watched porn, haven’t signed up for the age verification, nor have I needed to download a VPN. Maybe I’m too vanilla and boring.” Credit:u/b13570210) “It has been nothing more than a very minor inconvenience and hasn’t affected my habits at all.” Credit:u/crab―person11) “I’ve reverted back to my teenage years and discovered [online image searches] can be a good source of material.”“I have been quite close to just saying fuck it and just doing the verification, but glad I haven’t.” Credit:u/CrashHamilton12) “For me, I was never going to add my ID or bother with other ways to find porn, so I simply haven’t viewed any since then.” “I haven’t missed it or particularly noticed. I was an occasional visitor to the hub.“I’m not supporting or debating the internet ID issue here – merely commenting on the effect.” Credit:u/According_Sundae_917Related...'Choose Wisely': 11 Women On Their Biggest Marriage RegretsWomen’s Approach To Using AI Differs A Lot From Men’s — And There’s A Fascinating Explanation For ItUK Porn Age Verification Is Here – But What If We’re Sending Teens Somewhere Worse?

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