Ofcom investigates Pornhub owner over age checks

Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into Aylo, the company that operates Pornhub, over whether its age-check process was adequately tested and is effective at preventing children in the UK from accessing explicit content. The investigation concerns Aylo’s responsibilities under the Online Safety Act, not the technology provided by Apple. The regulator said it was concerned Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before introducing the process. Ofcom will examine how the company implemented its age-verification controls and whether it took the necessary steps to assess them. It has not yet determined whether Aylo breached the law or whether the checks fail to prevent children from accessing the site. Pornhub introduced the process for some UK users in May 2026. Reports describe it as relying on Apple-related device signals or verification to help establish whether a user is an adult. Ofcom’s investigation does not assess how Apple operates its age checks; the focus is on Aylo’s decision to deploy and oversee the process.