Ofcom has opened an investigation into whether Pornhub's Apple-based age verification system effectively prevents children from accessing its adult content, examining whether parent company Aylo has complied with age assurance duties under the Online Safety Act. The regulator is specifically scrutinising how Aylo implemented and tested the process using Apple's age-verification signals for UK iPhone users, not Apple's own systems. This investigation reflects growing regulatory pressure to ensure age checks provide genuine protection, following mounting criticism that the legislation has failed to prevent children's access to harmful online material.

Pornhub had completely blocked new UK users in February 2026 after a 47 percent drop in UK traffic following the Online Safety Act's implementation in July 2025, with numbers later falling 77 percent by October. In May 2026, Aylo partially reopened access for users who verified their age through Apple, whilst new users on Android and other platforms remain blocked. Ofcom can impose fines up to £18 million or 10 percent of worldwide revenue if it finds a breach, and the investigation comes amid mounting criticism that the regulator has not done enough to enforce the legislation, with England's Children's Commissioner stating the Act has made "absolutely no difference" to children's access to harmful content.