Danish parties seek tougher controls on children’s access to porn

Several Danish political parties want to make it harder for children to access hard pornography online, DR reports, following the broadcaster’s documentary Alone at home with porn.

The documentary features young people who say they were involuntarily exposed to pornography as children because it was so easy to access online.

Trine Bramsen of the Social Democrats, the party’s spokesperson on age limits for social media, said she was shocked by the accounts. She said the issue required both greater parental oversight and a political solution.

Bramsen said stronger age regulation was particularly needed on social media, where children and young people are sometimes directed to pornographic content.

Marlene Harpsøe, the Danish Democrats’ spokesperson on children’s issues, also criticised the easy access to pornography. She said parents were primarily responsible for monitoring what their children did online, but called for the minister for children and education to appoint a working group to find solutions, drawing on experience from other countries.

France, Australia and the United Kingdom have introduced age restrictions on pornography websites in recent years. Users must verify that they are over 18, for example by using a driving licence, credit card or other identification.

Leila Stockmarr, the Red-Green Alliance’s spokesperson on children’s issues, said Denmark should consider a similar system. She said it was not enough for companies simply to ask users whether they were 18.

Stockmarr also called on the government to produce an action plan to protect children on social media from pornography, self-harm and similar risks. Bramsen said there would be more age limits and regulation than in the past.