Pornhub to introduce enhanced UK age checks to comply with Online Safety Act

Pornhub and other leading adult content websites are set to implement more robust age verification methods in the UK starting next month.

This move comes as the Online Safety Act mandates “robust” age-checking techniques for adult sites by this summer, a measure designed to protect children from harmful online material.

Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, confirmed it will introduce “government approved age assurance methods” but has yet to disclose the specific techniques.

Regulator Ofcom has previously stated that simple click-through age gates, currently used by many sites, are insufficient. Acceptable methods under the new law include requiring photo ID or credit card checks to verify a user’s age.

Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s group director of online safety, emphasized the importance of these changes, stating they will “bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world.”

He highlighted alarming statistics from Ofcom’s research, showing that 8% of children aged 8-14 in the UK had accessed online porn within a 28-day period, including 3% of 8 and 9-year-olds.

Child safety advocates have welcomed the news. Derek Ray-Hill of the Internet Watch Foundation warned that early exposure to online porn can normalize harmful behaviours, while Rani Govender of the NSPCC stressed the need for tech companies to ensure age-appropriate online experiences for children.

This development follows global scrutiny of Pornhub’s age verification measures, including an investigation by the European Commission.

While Aylo’s Vice President Alex Kekesi praised Ofcom’s “flexible” and “robust” approach, some digital rights groups, like the Open Rights Group, express concerns that stringent age checks could lead to privacy risks or push children towards less regulated, potentially more dangerous, sites.

Regardless, all porn providers operating in the UK must comply by July or face significant fines under the new legislation.