Pornhub, the leading adult website in the UK, will restrict access to new users starting February 2nd. The move comes in response to the UK’s new Online Safety Act (OSA), which mandates strict age verification for adult content. The company argues that the legislation has proven ineffective and instead pushes users toward less regulated, potentially harmful platforms.
Failed Age Verification System
Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, states that the OSA’s current enforcement methods – including facial scanning or government ID uploads – have not succeeded in protecting minors. Instead, traffic has shifted to unregulated corners of the internet, where safeguards are non-existent. According to a December report from UK digital regulator Ofcom, Pornhub saw a nearly 33% drop in site traffic within the first month of implementing age verification checks, due to user refusal or inability to complete them.
The company has decided to no longer participate in a system it deems fundamentally flawed. Only existing, verified users will retain access.
Why This Matters: A Shift in Regulation Approach
This decision highlights a growing conflict between content providers and regulators over online safety. The UK’s approach, forcing age verification at the site level, appears to be backfiring. The problem isn’t just about restricting adult content; it’s about where users go instead when restrictions are enforced. Unregulated sites lack oversight, increasing risks for minors and creating a wild west of digital content.
The core issue is that blocking access doesn’t eliminate demand; it redirects it.
The Future of Online Safety: A Call for Systemic Change
Pornhub’s VP of brand and community, Alex Kekesi, suggests a more effective solution: shifting age verification to device-level controls, such as iOS stores. This would allow parents to limit adult content exposure on children’s devices directly, rather than relying on individual websites to enforce complex and often circumventable checks.
“Effective enforcement [of the OSA] is not possible, circumvention is rampant, privacy is compromised, and new, unregulated sites quickly fill any gaps left by responsible operators.”
The company maintains its willingness to collaborate with the UK government to find a viable solution. However, the current OSA framework is unsustainable, and the move to restrict new UK users is a direct consequence of its failure.
In conclusion, Pornhub’s decision reflects a growing frustration with ineffective digital regulation. The situation raises critical questions about how best to protect minors online without driving users to unregulated spaces. A more systemic approach, focusing on device-level controls and collaborative solutions, may be the only way forward.
