In a significant move impacting digital access in the United Kingdom, Pornhub has announced it will cease allowing new users from the UK to access its website starting from 2 February. This decision stems directly from the mandatory age verification requirements introduced under the Online Safety Act, which came into full effect in the summer of 2025.
Impact of Age Verification Measures
The pornography giant, which ranks among the most visited sites globally, has revealed that only existing users who have already completed age verification will retain access through their accounts. This policy change also extends to other explicit websites operated by its parent company, Aylo, including YouPorn and RedTube. According to Pornhub, traffic in the UK has plummeted by a staggering 77% since July 2025, when the age checks began to be enforced by Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator.
Company's Stance on Regulatory Framework
In a firm statement, Aylo declared it would "no longer participate in the failed system" created by the Online Safety Act. Alex Kekesi, vice-president of brand and community for Aylo, expressed concerns that the framework has inadvertently driven users towards unregulated and potentially dangerous corners of the internet. Kekesi emphasised, "Our sites, which host legal and regulated porn, will no longer be available in the UK to new users, but thousands of irresponsible porn sites will still be easy to access." He further argued that the enforcement compromises privacy and personal data for UK citizens.
Traffic Trends and User Behaviour
Despite the restrictions, Pornhub remains the most popular pornographic site in the UK, as reported by web traffic analyst SimilarWeb. However, Ofcom data shows a notable decline, with visitor numbers dropping to 9.8 million in August 2025, down by 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. This downward trend appears to have persisted in subsequent months.
Concurrently, there has been a sharp increase in the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass viewing restrictions. VPN usage more than doubled following the introduction of age checks, soaring from 650,000 users to a peak of over 1.4 million in mid-August 2025, before settling at around 900,000 by December.
Regulatory Requirements and Industry Response
The Online Safety Act mandates that pornography providers implement "highly effective" age checks to prevent children from accessing explicit content. These checks can involve methods such as facial age estimation technology or credit card verification. However, Kekesi contends that effective enforcement is unfeasible, citing rampant circumvention and privacy issues. He warned that users are increasingly turning to sites without proper moderation, heightening risks of exposure to illegal or harmful material.
Ofcom's Enforcement and Industry Compliance
An Ofcom spokesperson responded by stating that porn services have a clear choice: implement age checks as required by the Act or block access in the UK. The regulator urged the industry to develop technological solutions that work at the device level, provided they can demonstrate high effectiveness. Ofcom highlighted its flexible and proportionate approach, which has led to widespread adoption, with 68 of the top 100 pornography services in the UK now deploying age checks.
The spokesperson added, "We've taken strong and swift action against non-compliance, launching investigations into more than 80 porn sites and fining a porn provider £1 million, with more to come." Ofcom plans to continue discussions with Aylo to understand the implications of this policy shift.
This development underscores the ongoing tension between digital regulation, user privacy, and access to online content in the UK, setting a precedent for how other platforms might respond to similar legislative pressures.
