We urge the UK Government to abandon mandatory age verification for adult websites. We believe it will not stop underage access but may push users toward unsafe, unregulated sites. Instead, the government should focus on parental controls, digital literacy, and enforcement against illegal content.

We believe mandatory age verification could threaten privacy, increase surveillance, and create risks of data breaches. It could disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including LGBTQ+ individuals and adults without ID. Minors could bypass restrictions using VPNs, while others may turn to unregulated, darker websites, potentially with harmful content, scams, and malware. Instead of forcing ID checks, the government should focus on education and tackling illegal material directly.