Porn sites could use credit cards to stop under-18s accessing X-rated content or be fined under age-verification scheme

PORN sites must stop under-18s accessing X-rated content or face massive fines - potentially using credit cards or other forms of ID as part of the new scheme.

Downing Street, in a major policy U-turn, is bringing in a new age-verification scheme.

Platforms hosting porn will be put under a legal duty to bring in “robust checks” to ensure users are adults.

Those that fail to do so will face penalties of up to ten per cent of their global turnover. And that could stretch into the billions of pounds for bigger firms.

It is a major toughening up of previous plans, which covered only sites with user-generated content but left out those that streamed porn.

Boris Johnson ordered the ID blocker to be toughened up amid growing alarm at youngsters exposed to adult content. One study found that more than half of kids aged 11 to 13 have watched adult material online.

Of these, around two thirds said they stumbled across the content by accident.

Digital Minister Chris Philp said: “Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online.

“We are now strengthening the Online Safety Bill so it applies to all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the internet a safer place for children.”

Former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said: “For too long, the Government and porn companies have turned a blind eye and children have been allowed access to explicit, inappropriate and extreme content.

“We need tough new rules that are properly enforced and which hold internet giants accountable so that we can keep our kids safe.”

To verify a user’s age, punters may have to put in credit card details.