Inside the Shocking ‘Loophole’ Outsmarting the UK’s New Porn Restrictions – What the Government Won’t Admit

So, here’s a curveball for you: the UK rolls out new laws to keep kids away from X-rated sites, and within hours, clever netizens are already finding dodge routes faster than you can say “age verification.” On July 25, big names like Pornhub, Stripchat, and Jerkmate started asking users for real ID or a selfie to prove they’re adults—goodbye, simple “I’m over 18” clicks. This is all thanks to the Online Safety Act aiming to shield youngsters from unwanted, uh, “content.” Yet, as quickly as the rules popped up, so did VPNs—those crafty virtual tunnels—to sneak past digital bouncers. Now, it’s a game of cat-and-mouse between lawmakers, parents, and teenagers with a penchant for mischief. Can strict regulations really keep up with the ingenuity of the online crowd, or are VPNs here to stay as the ultimate wildcard? Let’s dive in and see what’s really going on behind the screen. LEARN MORE

Within hours of new legislation coming into force regarding how Brits access adult content, internet users had already come up with a loophole.

On 25 July, the likes of Pornhub, Stripchat and Jerkmate implemented new rules to verify the age of its users.

The move is part of the government’s crackdown on X-rated content, in its aims to stop children from accessing harmful content.

While previously, visitors to X-rated sites would simply have to click a button to confirm they were over the age of 18, porn sites now require verification in the form of ID to make sure that those on the site are actually adults.

Under the Online Safety Act, users now have to upload a document, which verifies their identity or share a snap of themselves to prove their age.

It’s not just pornography sites, with the likes of Reddit also implementing changes.

The new rules are part of the Online Safety Act (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Many people are unhappy with the new laws, while others have shared ways of getting around it, such as using VPNs.

Ofcom has said there is no way to stop Brits from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to dodge the age checks.

With a VPN, you can access parts of the internet which might be blocked in your region, as the service ‘masks your IP address, and lets you sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the internet’, according to Microsoft.

According to the BBC, Ofcom has said that platforms must not host, share or permit content encouraging the use of VPNs.

Speaking to the outlet, the government has also said that under the Online Safety Act, it will be illegal for sites to do this.

They also said that if parents are concerned, they can block the use of VPNs.

People are using VPNs as a loophole (Getty Stock Image)

People are already very riled up about the new rules – so much so, that a petition to ‘Repeal the Online Safety Act’ has already racked up more than 270,000 signatures.

Ofcom’s group director for online safety, Oliver Griffiths, explained why the age verification process is so important, despite the supposed loopholes.

“Our research shows that these are not people that are out to find porn – it’s being served up to them in their feeds,” he told The Sun.

The new checks have been introduced to verify the age of each user (Pornhub)

Griffiths continued: “And we think that these measures are going to have a really big impact in terms of dealing with that particular problem.

“There will be teenagers – dedicated teenagers – who want to find their way to porn, in the same way as people find ways to buy alcohol under 18. They will use VPNs. And actually, I think there’s a really important reflection here. It’s not just us, in terms of making life safer online.

“Parents having a view in terms of whether their kids have got a VPN, and using parental controls and having conversations, feels a really important part of the solution.”