Pornhub is preparing to shut the door on most UK visitors, with new restrictions set to kick in next week as the fallout from tougher age verification rules continues.
Starting February 2, only users who already have a Pornhub account will be able to access the site in the UK. New visitors will be blocked entirely. The move comes after months of tension between the platform and regulators over the enforcement of the Online Safety Act.
Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, says the law has missed its intended target. According to the company, stricter age checks have not stopped children from finding adult content online but instead pushed users toward less regulated and riskier websites. Aylo previously reported that UK traffic to Pornhub dropped by 77 percent after age verification rules took effect last summer.
Ofcom, the UK media regulator, disagrees. The regulator maintains that the new checks are working as designed by reducing the chances of children stumbling across explicit material. An Ofcom spokesperson said porn platforms must either introduce compliant age assurance systems or restrict access in the UK.
Aylo’s head of community and brand, Alex Kekesi, described the decision as a difficult one. She said legally operated platforms are being squeezed out while unregulated sites remain widely accessible. She added that the company initially cooperated with the law in hopes it could be enforced effectively, but now believes the legislation has failed to protect minors.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology pushed back on that claim, stating the law does not prevent adults from viewing legal content and that services do not need to leave the UK if they properly block underage users.
Pornhub remains the UK’s most visited porn site, according to Similarweb, and the same access limits will also apply to other Aylo-owned platforms, including YouPorn and Redtube.
As the debate continues, questions remain over whether age checks, device-level controls, or a mix of safeguards will actually keep children away from adult content online.
thinktank
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