Background on UK Age Verification Law and Pornhub's Response

When Pornhub announced last week that it would be restricting access for UK users, many questioned the reasons behind the move.

The site was among numerous platforms required to implement stringent age verification measures starting July 2025 under the Online Safety Act.

This legislation has faced ongoing criticism, with detractors highlighting that it can be easily bypassed through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which mask a user's true location by making it appear they are accessing the internet from elsewhere.

Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, has argued that the law has inadvertently driven users toward sites that do not comply with the regulations, thereby increasing "exposure to dangerous or illegal content." From Monday, 2 February, individuals who have not previously verified their age will be completely blocked from accessing Pornhub in the UK.

Questions Surrounding Pornhub's Motives

However, some observers express skepticism about whether the stated concerns regarding the law's "failure" to protect children are the sole reasons for the restrictions.

Notably, Pornhub provided a future date to prepare users for the change rather than immediately withdrawing access, prompting speculation about the timing and intent.

Law researcher Prof Clare McGlynn of Durham University suggested to that Pornhub's decision might be a strategic effort to prompt political action.

"They have blocked access in many US states," she said. "Their hope is to whip up political concern, anger of the public, to try to change the law."

Indeed, Pornhub has restricted access in 23 US states, including Alabama, Florida, and Texas, following the passage of laws mandating age verification for users.

Responses from Aylo and Ethical Capital Partners

Representatives from Aylo and its owner, Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), have denied that the UK restrictions are intended to increase registered users.

"Our intention here is not to drive sign-ups," Alex Kekesi, head of community and brand at Aylo, told reporters when announcing the decision.

"We're going to further restrict our traffic, so if anything it's a lovely gift to the abundance of other sites that are going to remain open and accessible that are continuing to not age verify in the UK."

In October, Aylo reported that age verification checks had resulted in a 77% decline in UK traffic to its site. However, Ofcom's annual survey indicated a more moderate reduction of 31% between July and August 2025, shortly after the age verification rules took effect.

It is important to note that these figures do not account for users circumventing age checks via VPNs.

VPN Usage and Its Impact

The exact number of UK users employing VPNs to bypass age verification is uncertain.

Ofcom reported in October that approximately one million people use VPNs daily for general purposes. Meanwhile, Cybernews researchers recorded over 10.7 million downloads of VPN apps on UK mobile devices throughout 2025.

ECP's Solomon Friedman suggested that VPN circumvention of age checks on pornographic sites could be addressed if device manufacturers such as Apple and Google assumed responsibility for verifying users.

Ofcom found that VPN usage in the UK more than doubled following the implementation of age verification rules. Although usage declined steadily after August, it remained elevated compared to pre-regulation levels.

Conversely, Internet Matters stated in December that it observed no significant increase in children using VPNs for the first time.

Prof McGlynn believes Pornhub might prefer users to rely on VPNs rather than having to increase content regulation or moderation, especially as the UK government plans to restrict additional material.

The government recently announced intentions to criminalize online pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation as part of broader efforts to combat violence against women and girls.

Regarding VPN use to bypass checks, an Aylo spokesperson previously told the BBC,

"we certainly do not recommend that anyone uses technology to bypass the law".

Industry Perspectives on Pornhub's Move

Social media expert Matt Navara interprets Pornhub's restriction of UK access as a possible attempt to establish a "legal firewall" rather than a protest.

"I think blocking UK access lets Pornhub dodge some of the regulations, skip the costs and still collect the traffic from users they can no longer see," he said.

Despite the law taking effect in July 2025, not all pornographic services in the UK have implemented age verification.

Ofcom reported that the top 10 services, including Pornhub, have introduced age checks, collectively a...