The lack of online age verification in Jersey raises safety concerns

Politicians have expressed concern about the safety of children after a review found there was no age verification on adult websites in Jersey.

Provided by the United Kingdom Age verification on porn sites in July To make it difficult for people under the age of 18 to view explicit material.

The review by the Education Scrutiny Committee found that assumptions that UK regulations would indirectly protect children in Jersey were not entirely correct, meaning that “children in Jersey may now face fewer barriers to accessing inappropriate content than their UK counterparts”.

Reply to reviewEconomic Development Minister Kirsten Morrell said legislation was being drafted that would allow people to remove harmful content.

MP Morell told the government’s Children’s Scrutiny Committee in May We have not looked to offer age verification for adult sites in Jersey.

“The reality is that if the UK introduced age verification for pornography or any sites, anyone in Jersey who wanted to access it would likely have to deal with the UK age verification system where we sit today,” he said.

“This is the truth.”

In a speech to the House of States on the review on 11 November, MP Catherine Curtis said: “On the day age verification measures came into force in the UK, we checked whether they were also in place in Jersey and they were not.

“Evidence suggests that because children are curious, they will access this sort of thing at an early age.

“Surveys show that one in 10 children will access adult porn sites by the time they are nine.”

In response, Morrell said online safety was important and that the review was “incredibly helpful.”

He added: “There is legislation underway within the government and one of these pieces of legislation… will enable people of all ages to remove harmful content.”