Overview
- Effective today, Aylo is blocking new UK visitors to Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube unless they previously verified their age, while existing verified accounts retain access.
- Aylo argues the verification regime has diverted users to unregulated sites and increased risks to both minors and adult privacy.
- Ofcom says major platforms have adopted age checks, has opened more than 80 investigations and issued a £1 million fine, and is holding talks with Aylo.
- Reported shifts include a 77% drop in Pornhub’s UK traffic, an initial spike in VPN searches that later plateaued, and polling that some adults turned to noncompliant sites and encountered troubling content.
- Reactions diverge, with a law professor calling the move a public-relations push against the law and performers warning it could drive users and workers toward unsafe, unmoderated spaces.