AMSTERDAM — Two members of the Netherlands' House of Representatives have put forward a motion calling on the government to require that adult websites institute age verification procedures.
The nonbinding resolution, introduced by Representatives Don Cedar of the Christian Union party and Jesse Six Dijkstra of the New Social Contract party, was supported by a majority of lawmakers in the legislature.
"Despite the harmfulness, minors in the Netherlands still have easy access to websites for online gambling or with pornographic content, while in countries such as Spain, France and the United Kingdom such national legislation is in development or may even come into force soon," the motion reads.
It then requests that the government "legally guarantee privacy-friendly and reliable age verification for online gambling and for websites with pornographic content."
The motion comes during a busy month for age verification in Europe. This week, French regulator ARCOM released its technical reference guide for the country's new age verification requirements. Meanwhile, the U.K. government signed a joint agreement with the United States to coordinate efforts on regulating online content, with the U.S. supporting the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which mandates age verification.