UK Government proposes porn-viewing ID

Respectfully, I don't think that something has to be done. While your definition of said problem is fair and reasonable, and I share some of your concerns for children going online, overall I don't agree.

I don't think the internet reflects more than the real world offers. It is challenging as a parent (and a school, employer, etc) to govern (!) or monitor how people use your internet access. Certainly much harder than preventing your kids from going to a particular physical place.

However, the freely available information that the internet allows humanity to share and access is changing the world. Some things will be better, some perhaps worse and at least more challenging, but I don't support curtailing the freedoms of many. Much damage can be done through things like the proposed ID system, and it will be just that kind of damage - systemic.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is - don't be afraid of the world. It's a wonderful and scary place, full of many terrible and beautiful things, and the internet is too. I guess I just don't like the idea of having to turn 18 then get a passport just to Google what's in another country :T

Not the op, but it doesn't sound like you're trying very hard to understand. Simply put—and speaking as a person who doesn't care about what adults do and see on the internet involving other adults—there is simply no bulletproof way of reliably ensuring children do not see or experience something online that is inappropriate for their age (or against a parent's personal sensitivities), while preserving a parent's freedom to encounter such things. As one who ardently opposes censorship and supports accessibility to information and material that some may find objectionable, I can empathize and understand why there is a need in people's minds for wanting to have something that works flawlessly, without requiring them to lock down every device and constantly hover over the shoulders of their children when they are using internet-enabled devices. Some parents who feel this way can very well be consumers of material they think is inappropriate for their children, wishing to prevent their children from being exposed to such material until they deem their child has enough maturity to properly understand it and place it in a context for life, while also wanting to avoid being hovering, controlling parents who make their children feel like they're controlled and permitted no freedom to grow and learn and make mistakes.

For example, I'm a fan of Game of Thrones, but I wouldn't watch it with an 8-year-old. Extrapolate that to the realm of porn—especially of the BDSM or other such role-playing and kink variety—and we wind up in a place of genuine conflict for some parents, even those who might enjoy such things themselves. Moreover, there is more than a small amount of collected evidence and accounts from people who document how such material is impacting such things as teenagers' views on sexuality and what behaviors are normal, as well as young women encountering what they report as the effects of porn on their teen male peers—with such reports including expectations of sexual acts before they've even shared a kiss. The prevalence of such information and imagery, which the average adult may be able to successfully contextualize, provides a different set of challenges to the inexperienced and less mature adolescent population.

So, no, what the parent said wasn't that "information (and ergo imagery) is accessible" is the problem. It's more likely that the problem is there's no shortage of ways that people, young or otherwise, can stumble upon or be introduced to things that can be seriously problematic for their level of maturity and development.

Despite all that, just to be very clear, I'm not suggesting that government-issued porn IDs or similar programs are the answer, or that they would even help solve the problem some people legitimately worry about and feel matters for their, and their children's, lives. I see a lot of problems with even suggesting that, and think it's an awful solution. But I think there's value in recognizing there is a problem strongly felt by many people, and the problem isn't merely access to information and imagery. As with many things in life, I find myself mixed between recognizing the value in empathizing with and understanding people's concerns, and unapologetically upholding on principle the accessibility of information (and imagery) some may find objectionable.

Sorry that there are very harsh comments out here.

You cant solve your problem relying on laws or global restrictions. The damage is already done.

The only solution is preparing your child how to respond on her own when she encounters inappropriate content. Not by restricting her. Not by always accompanying her when she uses Internet.

You need to educate her by telling her the Truth, ie the nature of the content and why it is inappropriate according to what you believe. This is more than sex education. Be more specific. Explain what happens there. Yes you can and is your responsibility to teach your child to avoid/hate NSFL if you think it harms her physical, emotional and mental well being, no matter what society believes and advocates by telling its all SAFE.

I started regularly viewing porn since 8 or 9 years old. To this day I'm not into "pro" porn or any other type of strange porn, just amateur couples filming themselves fucking. I watched indie European movies with my parents that had full nudity and penetration before that age even. Despite my other character flaws, I don't actually have any sexual hangups, harmful fetishes, etc.

I have literally no problem with my future child watching a video of people having sex.

They should be. As should everybody else, in a society.