Pornhub traffic plummets by over 1 million daily after porn ban law enacted

There’s been a sharp decline in traffic to porn websites following the UK’s implementation of stricter age verification measures.

As of 25 July, major adult platforms began enforcing age checks in line with provisions set out in the Online Safety Act, designed to make it more difficult for under-18s to access explicit content.

Analysis by digital intelligence firm Similarweb reveals that Pornhub, one of the world’s largest adult sites, has experienced a significant drop in daily visitors. Comparing data from 1 to 9 August against July averages, researchers found the platform lost over a million UK users per day from 3.2 million to 2 million.

Worryingly, the study also found that unregulated sites experienced an increase in traffic, meaning that people turned away from mainstream websites towards other outlets that may feature more extreme content.

In a statement to the BBC, a Pornhub spokesperson said: "As we've seen in many jurisdictions around the world, there is often a drop in traffic for compliant sites and an increase in traffic for non-compliant sites."

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What is the Online Safety Act?

The Online Safety Act 2023 introduces a new legal framework aimed at improving safety for both children and adults on the internet.

It places greater responsibility on social media platforms and search engines to protect users, requiring them to take active steps to limit illegal content and harmful activity.

The law compels tech companies to put systems in place to prevent misuse of their services and to swiftly remove unlawful material when it appears.

Indy100 reached out to Pornhub for comment

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