United Kingdom age verification laws face backlash over unintended consequences

The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, which mandates age verification to protect minors from harmful content, is facing criticism due to unintended consequences. While the regulation has successfully reduced daily visitors to major adult sites by approximately one-third through credit card and facial recognition methods, it has also created a ‘balloon effect.’

Pornhub reported to UK lawmakers that while direct access to its platform in the UK dropped by 77%, users are increasingly bypassing restrictions using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). This trend was previously observed in France, where VPN subscriptions surged by over 1,000% following similar enforcement. Pornhub noted that when searching for ‘free porn’ in June 2026, seven out of the top ten search results were illegal or malicious sites that do not comply with age verification requirements.

Ofcom acknowledged these loopholes, noting that among the 8% of UK adolescents attempting to access adult sites, only about half were blocked by official verification systems. The remaining half successfully accessed unverified, potentially malicious websites. Ofcom is currently coordinating with search engine providers, including Google and Microsoft, to address the issue of unverified sites appearing in search results.