The Online Safety Bill has passed its final Parliamentary debate and is now ready to become law.
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Lynn Perry MBE said:
“Every day, children are being exposed to extreme pornography online which harms their mental health and their understanding of healthy relationships, and normalises sexual abuse.
“We are delighted that the Online Safety Bill is heading for Royal Assent. It will make age verification compulsory for pornography sites, social media and other platforms which should stop children from stumbling across and accessing pornographic content.
“We hope that these changes will come into force as quickly as possible as promised.
“We will continue to work with the Government to ensure that pornography that would be illegal to buy on a DVD or Blu-Ray will be illegal online too. This Act represents a major milestone, and as new threats emerge, Government must remain vigilant in keeping children safe.”