The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has referred to OnlyFans as an example of where appropriate age checks have been implemented. He said that social media sites should replicate identity technologies to keep children off their platforms, as countries follow examples of age restrictions around the world.
Australia, Spain, and other countries are banning social media access for under-16s, whilst the UK has debated introducing similar age-based restrictions in the House of Lords. Smartphones in general will be limited in classrooms during the school day, it was announced yesterday, after schools have already been following these sensible guidelines in practice.
Identity verification technologies can reasonably control access to these platforms and will be required for compliance. Starmer and the tech secretary met with executives from Meta, Google, and TikTok, as he stated that the current level of online protection cannot remain as it is. OnlyFans is a leading example of how robust age checks can be implemented. Keily Blair, speaking at Identity Week Europe, has previously said that digital identity provisions must be mandatory for entertainment sites.
Online safety laws place accountability on social media platforms, which should be working closely with ID verification technology providers.
OnlyFans is dedicated to securely verifying every user on the platform through facial recognition technology.
Across regions where OnlyFans operates, a range of data is collected from users, including government-issued IDs and social media checks.
