Pornhub, one of the largest adult entertainment websites, no longer allows new users in the UK to register on its site. The move comes amid regulatory pressures from the Online Safety Act (OSA) aimed at tightening age verification for adult content.
Last week, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, announced in a statement that starting from February 2nd, it “will no longer participate in the failed system that has been created in the United Kingdom as a result of the OSA’s introduction.”
Pornhub and every other adult content platform that works in the UK were forced to adopt age verification measures last year under the Online Safety Act.
However, the law faced on-going criticism, since age verification can be easily bypassed using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which makes it look like the user is connecting from another location.
Today, Pornhub’s homepage only includes video interviews, event coverage, and lifestyle content focused on the adult industry. Users in the UK who want to watch adult content can only access it if they already have accounts and have verified their age.
According to Aylo’s statement, the company believes that the age verification law causes more dangers to both minors and adults than it protects them.
Despite the claim, critics believe that it may be a corporate pressure tactic rather than a genuine concern for user privacy.
Privacy stand or pressure play?
Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, stated that while their websites will be unavailable to new UK users, “... thousands of irresponsible porn sites will still be easy to access.”
They also claimed that the current approach has only made the internet more dangerous, raising privacy risks.
In response to Pornhub’s restriction, Ofcom, the UK regulator that is responsible for enforcing the Online Safety Act, told TechCrunch that “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 U.K.”
The move to restrict access for UK users is not the first attempt by Aylo to limit availability in response to regulatory pressure regarding age verification. In July 2025, Aylo suspended access to Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube for French users.
For the same reasons, Pornhub has also blocked access to its website in 23 US states, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama.
Prof Clare McGlynn of Durham University also told BBC News that Pornhub’s aim could be to drive action and change.
"Their hope is to whip up political concern, anger of the public, to try to change the law," McGlynn said.
But amid this debate, there’s a recurring discussion that arises each time a major platform restricts access due to age verification laws – the turn to VPNs.
The major loophole – VPNs
Despite age verification requirements and platform restrictions, Pornhub remains the 27th most visited website in the UK and 36th in the US, according to data from Similarweb.
Since Pornhub restricted access to UK users just hours ago, it’s too early to determine whether VPN usage will surge in response. However, past data shows that it’s likely.
Many users have installed VPNs in response to age verification laws around the world. That’s because VPNs allow users to get around age verification measures by masking their IP address, so it looks like they’re accessing from countries where age verification isn’t mandatory.
For example, when Pornhub blocked access for French users in June 2025, Proton VPN reported an increase of 1,000+ new signups hourly.
In July the same year, Proton VPN observed a 1,200+ increase over baseline signups per hour after the beginning of Online Safety Act enforcement.
Data shows that for users, it’s about choosing between sharing their personal data for age verification or buying a VPN – and many opt for tools that aim to protect online privacy.
Currently, the Online Safety Act doesn’t prohibit the use of VPNs for regular users. It only forbids platforms from promoting the use of VPNs for bypassing age verification.
“While Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are legal in the UK, according to this law, platforms have a clear responsibility to prevent children from bypassing safety protections. This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs or other workarounds specifically aimed at young users,” the UK government said.
As age verification laws are becoming a global trend, more adult content sites may follow Pornhub’s stance, and an increasing number of users may turn to VPNs, sparking an ongoing debate on balancing user privacy and minor safety.