Each age assurance process works in a slightly different manner.  Here is a simple explanation as to how each works.

Photo based age estimation

This works by anaylsing an image of the user’s face. This is often uploaded via an app or website, then analysed by an algorithm.

Email based age estimation

This works by examining what other services a verified email address is signed up to. It requires the verification company to have access to information about which services have your personal email on record.

Open banking

This works by your bank verifying your age to another service.

Mobile Network Operator (MNO) age checks

Every Mobile Network Operator in the UK has agreed to a voluntary code of practice where they filter out adult content accessed via a SIM and mobile data. Users can remove this filter by proving they are over 18. MNO checks involve a regulated service checking with the MNO as to whether a user has verified their age with them.

Credit card checks

In the UK only those aged over 18 can have a credit card. A credit card check involves checking credit card details to prove someone using the site.

Photo ID – Matching

This involves uploading a personal photograph to a service that then checks the photograph against a photo uploaded on an official document such as a driving licence or passport.

Digital Identity Services

This involves logging into a service with a digital identity service that has already verified someone’s age. For example giving permission for a digital identity wallet service to verify your age with another service.

Users will have to consider what choice different apps and websites offer them and pick an age assurance method that respects their personal privacy.

You can find ways to avoid using age verification to access online porn, but we do not recommend or encourage you to do this. Workaround methods are all risky, and you should think very carefully about the possible outcomes before using any of these. If you use a workaround method, your parents, peers and school might find out about your porn habits, which could be embarrassing or worse. 

It may be possible to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to avoid Age Verification. Porn providers will most likely show age verification prompts only to users who appear to be visiting from the UK. A VPN can make you appear to be outside the UK, in which case age verification will probably not be triggered.

VPNs are not risk-free. In particular, any provider offering VPNs for free will likely track and record your internet use. This can build up a profile of the sites you visit, which other people might be able to find out about. We advise you never to use free or unreputable VPN.

It is also possible to use the Tor network to access the internet anonymously. However, your web traffic can still be monitored at the moment it exits Tor, exposing you to risk.

You might also be tempted to try and log into a parent account to access this material. However, this could also land you in trouble with your parents or even the police. 

You should be wary of clicking on any links you get on social media offering workarounds for age-verification links. These are likely to be scams. This could include AI bots that pose as another person and offer to exchange pictures or content, only to then try and blackmail you. 

We recommend spending some time learning about the types of online scams that tend to target young people. 

It is possible that age verification companies will store information about people who have tried to get through their age verification process and failed. This data could become public through a hack or leak. Your parents could find out, and potentially also your school or college, and other authorities with whom you interact, such as social services.

Once sensitive data about your private sexuality is in the public domain, there is no going back. Information about your sexual preferences and porn viewing habits cannot simply be changed or destroyed. This information could have a lasting effect on your personal life, education, work and family.

If you do manage to avoid age verification and access a porn site or app, UK data protection laws put some limits on the ability of companies to collect, store, share and sell your personal information. However, if you view porn online, you cannot rely on the law alone to keep your sexual information private.

Porn companies could track you across different internet sites, and keep a log of everything you’ve watched. No database is ever fully secure, which means this sensitive information could be hacked or leaked.

If information about your porn viewing becomes public, you cannot make it private again. You could choose to sue a porn provider for failing to adequately protect your sexual data, but this will make your pornographic viewing more widely known, which might impact on your education or employment prospects. 

As enforcement action or blocks are put in place on some websites, you will likely find that it becomes less immediately accessible online.

You might also find your peers offer workaround solutions to you, or that you encounter people trying to offer you other ways to access pornography. You should be careful about the risks of some of the methods of accessing pornography. 

Age verification will mean that homepages of commercial porn sites no longer have explicit content on them, but it will not prevent people from accidentally seeing porn online. You are likely to have people offer to show you porn, or encounter content that has avoided censorship filters. 

There are a number of websites that offer advice and support.

1. Childline – www.childline.org.uk

• What they offer:

  • Articles and videos on staying safe online, grooming, sexting, and pornography.

  • A moderated message board where children can talk to peers.

  • Free, confidential 1-to-1 chat or phone support (0800 1111).

  • “How to block and report” guides for different apps and games.

2. Thinkuknow – www.thinkuknow.co.uk

• What they offer:

  • Separate sections for different age groups (5–7, 8–10, 11–13, 14+).

  • Engaging videos and interactive activities.

  • Topics include grooming, nudes/sexting, porn, and healthy relationships.

  • Created by CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).

3. BBC Own It – www.bbc.com/ownit

• What they offer:

  • Friendly, practical advice about using the internet safely.

  • Articles, quizzes, and videos on online pressure, peer influence, and harmful content.

  • Emotional support tips for when kids feel confused or upset by what they see online.

4. Internet Matters – www.internetmatters.org

• What they offer:

  • Age-specific advice on online risks (e.g., porn exposure, online grooming).

  • Interactive guides and conversation starters.

  • Tools to set up parental controls and manage screen time.

5. NSPCC – www.nspcc.org.uk

• What they offers:

  • Support and advice on how to talk about pornography and exploitation.

  • Information on child sexual abuse, online safety, and sexting.

  • Also runs Childlin