Ofcom has opened an investigation into whether Pornhub’s latest age verification system is sufficiently effective at preventing children from accessing pornography.
Ofcom has launched an investigation into Pornhub owner Aylo over concerns that its latest age verification system may not be effective enough to prevent children from accessing adult content.
The regulator said Pornhub began using a new age-checking process for some UK users in May, relying on technology provided by Apple.
Ofcom said it was concerned Aylo “may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing” before introducing the system, meaning it “may not be highly effective” at stopping children from accessing pornography.
George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, said online age checks were an important safeguard for children.
“We expect tech firms to ensure age checks are highly effective before introducing them,” he said. “Anything less could leave children at risk.”
Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, websites providing pornographic content must use highly effective age assurance to ensure users are aged 18 or over. The legislation allows individual services to choose how they verify users’ ages.
Ofcom said its investigation would examine how Aylo operates its age verification process and whether the company carried out the necessary checks before introducing it. It will not investigate Apple’s own age-verification technology.
Aylo strongly defended its system, and told the BBC it would co-operate fully with the investigation.
The company said it had tested several age-checking methods in different markets and believed Apple’s system offered “significantly stronger protection” than other methods currently available in the UK.
The company also argued that forcing individual pornography websites to verify users’ ages could drive people towards less compliant sites.
Research by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation has previously suggested that websites failing to comply with age-verification requirements may be more likely to host harmful or illegal material.
Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, questioned whether a mobile device-based system could meet the required standard unless Aylo could demonstrate that it consistently prevented children from accessing its content.
Ofcom can fine companies that breach the Online Safety Act up to £18m or 10 percent of their annual global turnover, whichever is greater.
The investigation is the latest dispute between the regulator and Pornhub.
The company said UK traffic fell by more than 75 percent after stronger age checks were introduced in 2025.
Pornhub later restricted access to UK users, before announcing in May that some Apple users who had confirmed their age through the latest version of iOS could access the site again.
Pornhub under investigation over age checks
