Last modified on Wed 5 May 2021 17.57 EDT Lawyers have begun judicial review proceedings against the government over allegations it failed to stop children in the UK watching online pornography. Age verification for legal pornography sites was introduced under part 3 of the Digital Economy Act in 2017 but the government never enforced it. Ministers have said the planned online harms bill will instead protect children by placing a burden on internet providers to protect users from “harms” including viewing pornography while under age. But critics point out that this bill is currently only at white paper stage with no current date to bring it before parliament.