Is this the end of pornhub and only fans

[janmarmay83]

So from July 2025 people will have to show robust proof of age.

Surely not many people will be happy to scan passport/ driving license info these sites

I'd rather they make it as difficult as possible for children to access porn/accidentally stumble across it.

Adults that want to will find ways around anything. But children really need protecting so I'm all for the really strict no nipple no short skirt. I do enjoy tattoo/alternative clothes/websites but my life will go on if its a bit of a Ballache to access them but on the whole children aren't being exposed to sexualised content. That will also include lots of chat forums. Then great.

Unfortunately lots of our society doesn't see this as a big issue. I counsel porn addicts and sex addicts. I have young boys around 13 years old that I offer help to that can't access full therapy and help because the UK doesn't recognise porn/sex addiction on the NHS. They don't want to tell their parents because they are ashamed. But they are suicidal. They are anxious. They have become withdrawn. Life has become unbearable for them.
It's a very different addiction to drugs and alcohol. If you count how many sexually suggestive things you encounter from now untill bedtime you'd be amazed how much our society has become desensitised to sexual content. It's everywhere. If that's your trigger to spiral back to addiction and you don't have support or the skills to understand how to get out of it. It's ridiculously difficult. Never mind a society that sends you conflicting messages on what being a "man" is.

All the technology is there to either shut down porn altogether or make it really difficult to access especially for children. I wish society would understand how big and far reaching this issue is.

Agree so much with this

I am sure there will be (sadly) enough dirty, pervy men over 18 who will be viewing Pornhub and Onlyfans to keep it going! And the under 18s will find something else - like Redtube, Xvideos, The Porn Dude etc...

MEN will always find porn if they want to!

The women on OnlyFans will be losing out though!

It's not about getting rid of it, it's about preventing kids accessing it easily.

Women watch porn too :)

I hope that it will stop unsupervised children being able to access extreme pornography from their phones. I think the sheer damage this is causing to the younger generations will be considered a scandal in the coming decades.

I doubt it though, I'm sure they will figure out a way around it.

Noooooooooooooo! 😱

😆

It is rather unfunny humorous that I needed to submit my child’s passport for something for Roblox but that porn is hey hello there how you doing.

This has been the law in a lot of the southern states of the US for a while. Pornhub have just stopped their site from being accessible in those states. The userbase isn't worth the hassle of implementing the age verification for them, so they just block those IP addresses from accessing the site.

They'll do the same in the UK.

Incidentally, VPN use in Texas went up something like 1700% in the week following the change in law. I wonder why.

Possibly an elbow 😜

#ifyouknowyouknow 😂

I wish it would be, but VPNs and other technology will mean it will still be accessible to those willing to put in a bit of effort. Those able to get round it are likely to be those who minds are most warped by it.

I think you’ve misunderstood my post. On the basis the government dont have sophisticated tools to keep people off porn, this is a good move to exploit the tools they do have- which is regulation within the uk.

there aren’t many other options available to them, but at least they’re doing what they can

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5246391-what-happened-when-florida-banned-porn

What would be the big deal about scanning you ID

Exactly. For too long identity thieves have had to struggle. Finally someone has thought of them. Truly we are helping the marginalised in society.

Why do people keep saying VPN?

Using a VPN disguises your IP address. It doesn't make you exempt from showing ID where needed. So yes your P address won't be linked to your ID, but you'll still have to show ID and that data would be stored and could potentially be linked. A VPN has nothing to do with that.

The passport thing will be for uk IPs not a site wide thing, vpn means people will get around without showing how old they are

@Paolol ohhhhh! Thanks!

The thing is this law can only apply to sites either (a) in the UK or (b) accessed from the UK. Overseas operators can (and will) ignore it - they can't be hauled into court.

UK based ISPs can block non conforming sites. However using a VPN bypasses any restrictions UK ISPs place on UK subscribers (by making it appear that the VPN user is in another country).

This falls very much into the "This is something" response when people clamour "something must be done".

The comments here pretty much tell the tale.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/16/ofcom_age_verification/

I’m with you @helpel as a mum of two DS of primary age. I’m sure the recent Emma Willis programme said that 1in10 had seen porn by age 9 and when they accessed a well known site as an experiment on the show (assuming one of these mentioned upthread) the first thing they were greeted with was something hardcore, not a TOWIE star with their top off which was what my peers experienced growing up! I feel this is an excellent move, and if they can take action on social media for under 16s too then the world will be a lot safer for our little ones as they age!

It just won't work. VPNs or just all the other sites etc or reddit that has tons on it (as well as other good subs).

Sadly this may lead to more exploitation of sex workers as they are forced to move over to the dark web

This. Nothing is foolproof, but if it stops some kids from accessing this garbage, then all good. 👍

What, because it’s harder for 13 year olds to view their work?!?

if that’s where they were making their money then thank god they’ve been cut off

It doesn't have a huge amount of oversight as it is. There is a lot of 'underground' stuff already, and plenty of the stuff that goes on pornhub is dubious when you start thinking about consent, coercion etc.

I'm in favour of any steps that can be taken to protect children and young people.