The Bill requires online retailers to take 'all reasonable steps' to avoid selling age-restricted products to those underage. It also requires annual advice from government to retailers setting out what constitutes 'all reasonable steps'. More worryingly, it contains a provision that would allow the Bill - if enacted - to apply to non age-restricted goods or services; for example online content which has a more subjective, harmful, element to it, such as suicide websites or social networking sites.

Whilst, for various reasons, the Bill may not go much further, the issue of online age verification and internet access is unlikely to go away. Our two-part feature looks at the key risks and issues which online retailers face, and the tools which they can adopt to minimise their exposure in this area.