UK watchdog opens probe into Pornhub age checks

An illustration photograph taken on January 29, 2026 shows the age-restriction warning screen of the website Pornhub. [AFP]

Britain's media regulator Ofcom said Wednesday it had opened an investigation into the parent company of Pornhub over concerns that children were potentially accessing its online pornography.

Ofcom will investigate whether the firm Aylo "has complied with its duties to prevent children from encountering pornographic content", as stipulated by Britain's online safety laws, a statement said.

Aylo blocked new users in Britain from accessing Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube in February, citing the protection of minors.

However, it decided to partially reopen access in May to new users who had passed age verification checks.

The restored access applied to Apple iPhone and iPad users who updated their devices to run on the tech giant's latest operating system.

However, Ofcom said on Wednesday that Aylo "may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before implementing its new age assurance process".

"As a result, we are concerned that Aylo's process may not be highly effective at preventing children from seeing pornography," it added in its statement.

UK rules that entered into force in July 2025 require porn sites to carry out strict age verification checks through tools such as facial imagery or credit card identification -- or face hefty fines.

Ofcom on Wednesday said that should it find the law had been broken over UK age checks, it can impose fines of up to £18 million ($24 million) or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

AFP has contacted Aylo for comment on the Ofcom probe.

Aylo had said earlier that Britain's Online Safety Act requiring age verification had "diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet" and had "not achieved its goal of protecting minors".