Pornhub traffic in UK plummets 77% after age verification rules take effect

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We just got the news that visits to pornography sites in the UK have fallen sharply since the government introduced stricter age verification rules in July, according to official data from regulator Ofcom (via Financial Times).

According to this data, some sites have been hit particularly hard. Aylo, the company behind Pornhub, reported that UK traffic to the platform dropped by more than three-quarters after the rules came into effect (77%).

The new regulations, part of the Online Safety Act, require adult websites to verify the age of all UK users to prevent children from accessing explicit content. Pornhub, the country's most-visited adult site, uses text messages and emails for verification.

Aylo's head of community and brand, said the company was "honestly shocked" by the drop in UK traffic. While VPN usage temporarily doubled after the rules were introduced, allowing users to bypass verification, Aylo has not seen a corresponding increase.

He warned that while traffic to compliant sites like Pornhub has fallen, users are moving to unverified platforms that often host illegal content. "We've lost the traffic, but these are not people that have stopped looking at porn overnight. They're just going to other websites."

Ofcom confirmed that the top ten most-visited adult sites in the UK, representing a quarter of all visits, now deploy age checks. The regulator is monitoring compliance and has launched investigations into 62 services for potential breaches of the act.

A government spokesperson emphasized that protecting children online remains a top priority, noting that enforcement action will be taken against sites that fail to comply. What do you think about this new rules? Let us know in the comments below.