Pornhub has issued a warning to users after new online safety laws were introduced in the UK today.
On 25 July, the new set of regulations came into effect as the government looks to limit the alarming number of children under the age of 18 who are accessing sexual content online.
The Online Safety Act became law back in 2023, but only now are people in the UK really seeing the drastic changes, which means that huge adult sites such as Pornhub will now require age verification before users can access their videos online.
Previously, the website had simply asked if the user trying to access the content was over 18, but had no way of proving that they weren't, whereas now users must make an account and visit an age verification page.
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Although some people have seemingly already found a loophole around the rules, Pornhub have now issued a grave warning about the importance of these new rules and why they must be adhered to.
Aylo, who owns Pornhub, spoke to LADbible about why the changes are necessary and why they must be enforced, with sites and their owners at the risk of being fined £18 million or 10 percent of their revenue if they are found to have broken the rules.
They also issued a warning regarding the change, despite its many benefits.
Alex Kekesi, VP Brand and Community, on behalf of Aylo, told LADbible: "We know that when people choose not to age verify, they do not stop looking for adult content, they migrate to those irresponsible platforms.
"We continue to believe that to make the internet safer for everyone, every phone, tablet or computer should start as a kid-safe device. Only verified adults should unlock access to things like dating apps, gambling, or adult content.
"This is the core premise of device- based age verification, which we believe is the safest and most effective option for protecting children and maintaining user privacy online."
While you'd expect the new rules to have a detrimental impact on the amount of people visiting the website, they were full of praise for the new model in the hope that it can better protect young people from seeing harmful sexual content online.
They added: "Ofcom’s model is the most robust in terms of actual and meaningful protection we’ve seen to date. When governments and regulators engage with industry in good faith, the outcome is not just better compliance, it’s smarter, more effective solution.
"We believe in Ofcom’s intent and ability to enforce compliance with the Online Safety Act. Without real enforcement, age assurance laws are meaningless, driving traffic to non-compliant sites and exposing users to dangerous content.
"Keeping minors off adult sites is a shared responsibility that requires a global solution. It requires cooperation between government, tech platforms and adults. We want to be part of the solution and are hopeful that the UK model stands to set a strong precedent to that end.
"We have long worked with governments around the world to better protect kids online."
James Moorhouse