Pornhub says UK visitors down 77% since age checks came in
5 months ago
- #Online Safety Act
- #Age Verification
- #Pornhub Traffic
- Pornhub reports a 77% drop in UK visitors since age checks were enforced under the Online Safety Act, with non-compliant sites gaining traffic.
- Ofcom data shows UK visits to porn sites decreased by almost a third post-July 25, aiding child protection by reducing easy access to explicit content.
- VPN usage spiked in the UK after the law, with over 10.7 million downloads in 2025, suggesting some users mask locations to bypass age verification.
- Pornhub’s parent company argues the rules are unenforceable across thousands of sites and criticizes non-compliant sites for hosting risky content.
- Debate exists over age verification methods: Pornhub advocates for device-level checks, while industry groups emphasize robust, fair enforcement across platforms.
- Ofcom defends its enforcement, prioritizing high-risk sites, and notes most top adult sites now have age assurance in place.