The UK's independent pornography taskforce is set to propose legislation this autumn to ban 'barely legal' content, following the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary about porn star Bonnie Blue. The taskforce, launched last month by Conservative peer Gabby Bertin, aims to address content that simulates child sexual abuse by adults dressed as children.
The documentary, titled '1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story', followed the performer for six months and included her claim to have had sex with 1,057 clients in 12 hours. It was condemned by the children's commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, for 'glamorising and normalising' extreme pornography. The film also showed Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, in a classroom preparing to film an orgy with models dressed in school uniform, selected for their youthful appearance.
Lady Bertin plans to lodge amendments to the crime and policing bill to make it illegal for online platforms to host content that could encourage child sexual abuse, including pornography featuring adults dressed as children. 'This content is pushing at the boundaries. We will be trying to address the 'barely legal' aspect legislatively,' she said. The Online Safety Act currently requires Ofcom to monitor pornography sites for illegal material involving child sexual abuse and extreme content, but does not cover adults role-playing as children online, a regulatory gap the taskforce seeks to close.
Visa and Smirnoff have pulled online advertisements from streaming of the documentary after reviewing the content. Visa's ads were placed by a third-party agency but were removed after staff deemed the content inconsistent with internal guidelines. Diageo, Smirnoff's parent company, is assessing how its ad was cleared for the show. Ofcom is assessing the documentary and may launch a formal investigation.
Policing minister Diana Johnson has discussed with ministerial colleagues the ease with which children can access the documentary on Channel 4's website, which requires users to be 16 but has no age-verification process. A Channel 4 spokesperson said the film was designed to provoke debate about Bonnie Blue's rise to fame and earnings.
