By Stewart Tongue

YNOT EUROPE – Nearly four out of five UK adults believe it is too easy for children to access hardcore pornography online. A recent poll conducted by ICM on behalf of regulatory body Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) indicated respondents want the government to implement tighter regulations on internet material.

More than 77 percent of the 2,019 people responding to the poll said they believe free and unregulated online XXX content represents a hazard to children. Eight-eight percent indicated they want UK websites offering “porn on-demand” to restrict access to credit-card holders (who presumably are of legal age) or to check users against a “reliable database” like election registration data prior to granting access. Among women, 94 percent of respondents indicated restricting access to adults only is “very” or “quite” important; nearly 82 percent of women chose the highest level of concern, “very important.”

ATVOD sees the poll’s results as support for its recently adopted aggressive approach to hardcore porn websites. The agency has launched 23 investigations; in response, two online services shut down and eight companies made significant changes to their sites in order to comply with the agency’s new regulations.

“Public concern about the ease with which children can access hardcore pornography online is substantial, and there is widespread support for ATVOD’s policy of ensuring UK websites providing such content do so only with safeguards that keep it out of reach of children,” ATVOD chief executive Pete Johnson said.