Originating in 2023, the Online Safety Act became most visible to many on the 25th of July this year, as the mandate for relevant platforms to use effective age assurance methods came into force. Visitors to adult sites or those that encourage self-harm, suicide or eating disorders should now see a robust age-verification feature before being allowed to enter.

This most recent step, from legislation that has been years in the making, is the one that has stirred up the most reaction from the public so far, with the positive intentions of protecting minors from inappropriate content now coming against criticism of impeding free speech and online user behaviour.

This initial reaction has been measured in multiple ways. One YouGov poll, taken a few days after the new rules came into effect, stated that 69% of respondents were still in support of the Act, with 46% 'strongly' so. Although still a significant majority, it has certainly fallen from results of up to 80% previously.

Conversely, an online petition to repeal the Online Safety Act has reached over 498,000 signatures at the time of writing, and mainly rails against the fact that the legislation goes too far by inadvertently impacting hobbies, games or forums that can struggle to comply with enforcing the measures. Larger gaming platforms like Xbox, plus social media sites like Reddit and X have all implemented various age verification methods in order to comply with the regulations, sowing confusion with regular users who fall out of the target bracket. A perceived lack of transparency and trust in the enforceability of such a broad-spanning measure is at the cornerstone of public scepticism, regardless of the wider support.

So, what impact has the Act actually had on website traffic? Data from Semrush, an online analytics business, revealed that the average time spent on four of the most popular adult content websites had declined by a third in the short time the law had been in place. The same data showed that initial visits to such sites did not change much; however, once people encountered the verification, it is likely that many dropped off.

This is certainly a case of the protocols working as intended, but it also demonstrates many legitimate users' current unwillingness to hand over personal details online. It is the modern online user’s instinct not to pass such information, even when many websites are striving to convey that no images or personal data are stored beyond initial verification. Currently, most of the verification methods are run by third parties, which adds another layer of uncertainty. Consumers will likely fear a dreaded data leak, which could lead to crimes like identity theft.

It has resulted in the increased use of VPNs, which topped the Apple and Android app stores in the week following, as savvy people worked around the law by hiding their IP addresses and pretending to be visitors from another country. This workaround is, of course, discouraged by the authorities, and it is illegal for sites to encourage their use.

In other industries, using user data to enhance the consumer experience has been a long learning process of building advocacy and highlighting the benefits of doing so. The long-term success of this wide-ranging legislation will similarly depend on a period of acclimatisation, where its positive intentions come to fruition and user concerns are addressed. As with so many things, navigating change or new processes requires the right information and transparency to encourage user buy-in and build the trust needed for the nation to get on board.