The Failure of UK’s Online Safety Act: Adult Content Access Rises

The UK’s Online Safety Act has produced the opposite of its intended results.

New research shows more children are being exposed to adult content in 2025 than when the legislation was first introduced in 2023.

Dame Rachel de Souza, England’s children’s commissioner, released shocking findings that highlight how government censorship efforts often miss their mark.

Her survey revealed that 27% of participants now say they viewed pornographic content by age 11, with some reporting exposure as young as six years old.

The Censorship Pattern Repeats

This situation mirrors what we’re seeing with Italy’s Piracy Shield system. Both laws were created with good intentions but are causing more problems than they solve. Citizens face collateral damage while the original issues persist or worsen.

The UK’s approach follows a familiar pattern where heavy-handed government intervention creates new problems.

Children continue stumbling upon extreme content accidentally on social media platforms, despite promises from tech companies and lawmakers.

Extreme Content Remains Accessible

De Souza’s research uncovered that children are viewing material so extreme it cannot legally be published on DVDs or other offline formats. The content often depicts violent and degrading acts, sometimes showing illegal activities.

This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of government oversight versus self-regulation approaches. The legislation requires age verification systems, yet children still access harmful material without seeking it.

Italy’s Piracy Shield Offers Warning

Italy’s Piracy Shield provides another example of censorship laws gone wrong. Originally designed to block piracy sites, it has repeatedly blocked legitimate services, banking websites, and cloud storage platforms.

Italian citizens now face restricted internet access while pirates continue operating through new domains and VPN services.

Both cases demonstrate how government attempts to control online content often result in:

• Increased restrictions on law-abiding citizens
• Minimal impact on the actual problem
• Unintended consequences affecting legitimate services

Final Thoughts

History shows that excessive censorship typically reduces citizen compliance rather than solving underlying issues. People find workarounds, use VPNs, or simply ignore regulations they view as overreaching.

The UK’s situation proves this point perfectly – despite new penalties allowing Ofcom to fine companies up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, children’s exposure to harmful content has actually increased.

Government censorship rarely achieves its stated goals while often creating new problems for citizens. The UK’s Online Safety Act and Italy’s Piracy Shield both demonstrate how well-intentioned laws can backfire.

Rather than heavy-handed regulation, focusing on education, parental controls, and industry cooperation might produce better results without restricting everyone’s internet freedom.

For more information on this story refer to the Children’s Commissioner report and the article from Cybernews.

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