Pornhub, one of the world’s most-visited adult websites, has reported a dramatic 77% decline in UK traffic since the implementation of new age-verification requirements under the Online Safety Act (OSA).
The stricter rules, which took effect in late July, require all UK users accessing adult content to prove they are over 18. Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, says the regulations have significantly altered online behavior, with users either avoiding adult sites altogether or turning to platforms that are not yet compliant.
While the BBC has not independently verified Pornhub’s figures, Google data also shows a steep drop — searches for “Pornhub” in the UK have nearly halved since the law came into effect.
Stricter Age Checks Transform Online Habits
The Online Safety Act aims to create a safer digital environment, particularly for minors. Anyone attempting to visit adult websites in the UK must now undergo age verification using approved methods such as facial recognition, ID scans, or third-party verification tools.
According to analytics firm Similarweb, Pornhub still ranks as the 19th most-visited website in the world, but its UK audience has plummeted. Ofcom, the country’s communications regulator, confirmed that visits to adult websites have declined by almost a third since the new rules were introduced.
Ofcom said the purpose of the regulation — to prevent children from inadvertently accessing pornographic material — is being achieved. The watchdog emphasized that this marks the end of an “age-blind internet,” where little to no effort was made to check who was using adult sites.
VPN Downloads Surge Amid Privacy Concerns
While some users may have stopped visiting adult sites altogether, others appear to be finding ways around the restrictions. Data from Ofcom shows a sharp increase in VPN (Virtual Private Network) use immediately following the rollout of the law, peaking at around 1.5 million daily users in July before stabilizing at around one million.
Separate research from Cybernews found that more than 10.7 million VPN apps were downloaded in the UK during 2025, suggesting many people are bypassing geographic restrictions to maintain access to adult content.
Experts say privacy is one of the biggest reasons behind this trend. Users concerned about sharing personal identification details online are opting for VPNs, which hide their real location. This has likely distorted traffic data, as users logging in through foreign servers may now appear as non-UK visitors.
Cybersecurity analysts also noted that several VPN providers saw an enormous spike in downloads — one reportedly experienced an 1,800% surge — immediately after the age-verification rules were enforced.
Regulator Faces Enforcement Challenges
Aylo executive Alex Kekesi, who represents Pornhub’s parent company, said enforcing the new rules is proving difficult given the scale of the adult content industry.
According to her, Ofcom faces a daunting challenge in ensuring compliance across more than 240,000 adult websites serving about eight million UK users each month. So far, the regulator has taken enforcement action against fewer than 70 sites.
Kekesi argued that some websites flouting the law are seeing traffic soar as a result, giving them an unfair advantage over those that comply. She also raised concerns about harmful material circulating on certain unregulated sites, including content appearing to encourage illegal searches.
Aylo said it has reported such sites to Ofcom for review. The regulator responded that it prioritizes investigations based on potential risk and audience size, warning that non-compliant sites could face enforcement action.
Government and Industry Defend New Rules
The UK government has stood by Ofcom’s approach, describing child protection online as a “top priority.” Officials said the OSA represents a major step toward creating a safer internet and promised further action if needed.
Ofcom’s latest data shows that all of the top 10 adult websites accessed in the UK have implemented age verification, accounting for about 25% of visits to adult platforms. Across the top 100, roughly 75% of total visits now go to sites with age-assurance measures in place — a sign, regulators say, that progress is being made.
Pornhub Suggests Device-Level Verification
Kekesi has also suggested that age verification should be handled at the device level — meaning checks would be performed once per device rather than on every website. She made the case during meetings with Ofcom and government officials in London earlier this year.
She pointed out that Pornhub’s cooperation with UK authorities stands in contrast to its stance in other countries, such as France, where the company opted to block users entirely rather than adopt systems that required biometric data collection.
According to Aylo, the UK’s flexible framework allowed Pornhub to adopt privacy-conscious solutions like email-based verification, avoiding the need to collect sensitive data such as facial scans.
