Barnardo's has responded to amendments made by the Government to the Online Safety Bill which passed through the Lords yesterday.
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 welcome the Government’s decision to make it compulsory for pornography sites, social media and other platforms to introduce age verification safety measures, which should stop children from stumbling across and accessing pornographic content.
“We also welcome the Government’s commitment that these changes will come into force as quickly as possible.
“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 Bill represents a major milestone, and as new threats emerge, Government must remain vigilant in keeping children safe.”