... There has been. It'd called blocklists. UK specifically even had it at the IP level, but excluding that there's extensions that also block that stuff. There's actually many ways to block that stuff.

There were restrictions in the UK before this latest measure got put in place, ISP providers provide it so parents could manage it. But my guess is a large proportion of parents were either too stupid to use, didn't care, or simply didn't know. Broadband parental control.

There are plenty of options for blocking unwanted material from kids.

This is a leap towards removing any anonymity or privacy online so you can be punished for wrongthink - there is nothing here which helps protect children any better than what was already in place.

We should always be wary of laws being passed in the name of "protecting the children", because often they are used to justify government overreach, censorship, and good old fashioned authoritarianism.

Parents should educate themselves on how to curate a healthy online experience for their child, and I dare say maybe don't shove in iPad in their face from being a baby just to keep them quiet.

Or just be a good parent and don't rely on censorship laws to be your babysitter.

Low-key if you're that incompetent you don't know about any kind of parental blocking you shouldn't have kids in the first place. We really don't need more stupid in the gene pool