Pornhub has announced significant restrictions to its services in the United Kingdom, implementing a partial withdrawal from the market in response to the Online Safety Act. The adult content platform, along with its sister sites YouPorn and RedTube, will require users to complete a mandatory age verification process before a February 2 deadline.
Verification Deadline and Access Changes
From February 2, 2026, visitors attempting to access Pornhub without completing the new verification requirements will encounter what the company describes as 'a wall' instead of the usual homepage. This represents a substantial shift in accessibility for what has been the UK's largest pornography platform.
The parent company Aylo has confirmed that users must sign up and verify their identity through an age assurance process to maintain access. This move comes as a direct response to regulatory requirements under the Online Safety Act, which mandates stricter age verification for adult content websites.
Company Criticism of Legislation
Alex Kekesi, head of community and brand at Aylo, described the decision as 'difficult' but necessary given the current regulatory landscape. She expressed particular concern about the practical outcomes of the legislation, stating: '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.'
Kekesi further explained that the company had initially hoped that Ofcom, the communications regulator, could effectively implement the legislation. However, after six months of experience with the new requirements, she concluded that 'the OSA has failed to achieve that objective' of meaningful compliance enforcement across the industry.
Regulatory and Industry Perspectives
Solomon Friedman of Ethical Capital Partners, which owns Aylo, placed responsibility squarely on the legislation rather than the regulator. He argued: 'You have a dedicated regulator working in good faith, but unfortunately, the law they are operating under cannot possibly succeed.'
Friedman expressed concern about unintended consequences, suggesting the legislation 'is pushing both adults and children alike to the cesspools of the internet, to the most dangerous material possible' by driving traffic to non-compliant websites.
An Ofcom spokesperson responded to the developments, stating: 'Porn services have a choice between using age checks to protect users as required under the Act, or to block access to their sites in the UK.' The regulator emphasised that their role involves enforcing existing rules while encouraging technological solutions.
The spokesperson added: 'We've put in place age assurance rules that are flexible and proportionate, and we have seen widespread adoption. We've taken strong and swift action against non-compliance, launching investigations into more than 80 porn sites and fining a porn provider £1million, with more to come.'
Impact and Industry Context
The announcement follows earlier reports from October indicating that traffic to Pornhub had fallen by 77 per cent following initial implementation of the Online Safety Act requirements. This dramatic decline illustrates the substantial impact regulatory changes are having on the adult content industry's UK operations.
Aylo has highlighted what it describes as a 'failure' of the legislation, noting that visitors are increasingly flocking to websites that do not comply with age verification laws. This creates what the company views as a paradoxical situation where regulated, legal platforms face restrictions while unregulated alternatives remain accessible.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been approached for comment regarding these developments and potential future adjustments to device-based age assurance regulations.
This situation represents a significant test case for online content regulation in the UK, balancing child protection objectives with practical implementation challenges across a diverse and global internet landscape.
