My hot take is I'm actually okay providing an ID to prove my age. Where it breaks down is these idiots in governments think the only way to do that is by having the sites maintain that.
What should be done is have browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Implement a system that age gates websites, where you have to provide your ID to unlock your browser to allow you to see 18 and over material. The only thing the government would see it would be that you have unlocked 18 and above material, and sites would only have to change a metadata item saying that they are providing 18 and over material. This would be a low cost for everyone involved and would keep privacy in the forefront.
Of course, privacy isn't actually what they're trying to get at, they want to spy on us and everything about us. It's not about protecting the children, it's about knowing everything about us, so a solution like that would never be implemented
Edit: Downvote me if you want, but if the only alternative is to hand over my ID to porn sites who then will be forced to have those verified with the government then maybe it's worth investigating some alternatives. I'm not saying my idea is rock solid folks, it just popped in my head, I'm saying we shouldn't be letting 90 year olds in government decide what the best technical solution is, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat.