Pornhub will restrict UK users from TODAY amid crackdown to protect minors
Pornhub will restrict UK users from today, amid a crackdown aimed at protecting minors.
Aylo, the Cyprus–based company which owns the pornography site, says that from February 2 it will block new British users who have not previously verified their age.
The change follows the introduction of the Online Safety Act, which ushered in some of the world's most restrictive rules on accessing online pornography.
Since July last year, visitors to adult sites have had to verify that they are over 18 either by providing credit card details, uploading a picture of their ID, or using a selfie to estimate their age.
While these rules are intended to make it harder for under–18s to see explicit material, Aylo claims they have 'diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet'.
As a result, it says it has 'not achieved its goal of protecting minors'.
'We cannot continue to operate within a system that, in our view, fails to deliver on its promise of child safety, and has had the opposite impact,' Aylo's statement said.
'Despite the clear intent of the law to restrict minors' access to adult content... our experience strongly suggests that the OSA [Online Safety Act] has failed to achieve that objective.'
Pornhub will restrict UK users from today, amid a crackdown aimed at protecting minors
Since July 25, the Online Safety Act has required the operators of online platforms to prevent children from viewing 'harmful content'.
That includes explicit content, like pornography, but also content that encourages self–harm or suicide, promotes dangerous challenges, shows serious violence, or incites hatred against people.
Platforms found to be in breach of the act could face a range of punishments, including fines of £18 million or 10 per cent of global turnover.
In extreme cases, companies may be blocked from operating in the UK.
Porn providers have seven options to check their visitors are over–18.
These are: photo–ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile–network operator (MNO) age checks, credit card checks, email–based age estimation, digital identity services and open banking.
The laws were created in response to what many consider to be an alarming rise in young children accessing disturbing or harmful content online.
A study conducted last year by the charity Internet Matters found that seven in 10 children aged nine to 13 said they had been exposed to harmful content online.
Since July 25, visitors to adult sites have had to verify that they are over 18 either by providing credit card details, uploading a picture of their ID, or using a selfie to estimate their age (stock image)
Children in this age group reported coming across hate speech (13 per cent), coming across mis/disinformation (15 per cent), and one in ten has seen violent content or content that promotes violence.
Similarly, Ofcom research found that eight per cent of UK children aged eight to 14 visited a porn site at least once a month.
In October, Pornhub revealed that it had lost 77 per cent of its UK users as a result of the new measures.
Professor Elena Martellozzo, Childlight's European hub director, called this 'a big win for child protection'.
'For too long children have been just a click away from explicit material,' she said.
'Our latest data shows one in five children have seen sexual content they didn't want to in the past year, and there are concerns that repeated exposure can normalise harmful attitudes and shape young people's understanding of relationships in worrying ways.
'This kind of practical, balanced prevention measure helps keep adult spaces for adults and helps protect young people from harm.
'Age checks aren't about censorship, they're about creating healthier, safer online spaces for children to grow up in.'
However, the clampdown appears to have backfired.
Online searches for VPNs, which can disguise a user's location, spiked by more than 700 per cent at the end of July, suggesting thousands of Brits were looking for ways around the restrictions.
VPNs help users appear as though they're browsing from another country, allowing them to access sites without triggering the local ID checks.
Speaking at the time, Harry Halpin, CEO of NymVPN, said: 'We're already seeing people turn to VPNs in record numbers.
'The problem is, many are using free or untrustworthy VPN services that may expose them even more or leave them open to being spied on by foreign states.
'Centralised VPN technology allows tech companies and foreign intelligence to see what you are searching for the moment that you switch it on.
'That means your search history is at risk, including your sexual preferences and the time, date and device used to access adult content.'
It remains unclear whether or not other porn sites will follow Pornhub's lead and also restrict UK users.
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