{
 "license": "CC BY 4.0",
 "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
 "slug": "uk",
 "name": "United Kingdom",
 "kind": "country",
 "code": "GB",
 "url": "/uk",
 "page": "https://pornblocked.com/uk",
 "law_status": "in_effect",
 "law_label": "Law in effect",
 "law": "Online Safety Act",
 "law_name": "Online Safety Act 2023",
 "citation": "2023 c. 50 (age-assurance duties in s. 12 for user-to-user services and s. 81 for providers publishing their own pornographic content)",
 "law_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/contents",
 "signed": "2023-10-26",
 "effective": "2025-07-25",
 "regulator": "Ofcom",
 "enforcement": "Ofcom has run an age-assurance enforcement programme for pornography since 16 January 2025, extended to Part 3 services on 25 July 2025. Its tools include information notices, provisional notices and confirmation decisions with fines and daily penalties. Ofcom can also apply to court for business disruption measures (e.g. requiring payment providers, advertisers or ISPs to withdraw services). By July 2026 Ofcom reported 23 investigations into 88 adult services, about 73% of which had added age checks or blocked UK users, with seven providers fined.",
 "pornhub": "blocked",
 "pornhub_label": "Pornhub blocked",
 "pornhub_since": "2026-02-02",
 "pornhub_qualifier": "except for existing accounts and Apple-verified iPhones",
 "answer": "Yes. Pornhub has blocked the UK since February 2, 2026 (except for existing accounts and Apple-verified iPhones). The UK's Online Safety Act took effect July 25, 2025.",
 "summary": "Since 25 July 2025, the Online Safety Act has required any site or app that lets UK users see pornography to use 'highly effective' age checks; sites that publish their own porn have been covered since January 2025. Ofcom has fined several adult-content providers, up to £1.4 million. Pornhub's owner Aylo stopped admitting new UK users on 2 February 2026, let back iPhone users verified by Apple from May 2026, and has been under Ofcom investigation over that Apple-based check since September 2026.",
 "related_laws": [
  {
   "type": "repealed predecessor",
   "name": "Digital Economy Act 2017, Part 3",
   "effective": null,
   "status": null
  }
 ],
 "pending_bills": [
  {
   "name": "Ofcom investigation into Aylo",
   "status": "open (since 22 September 2026)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Ofcom report on app-store protections",
   "status": "due by January 2027"
  }
 ],
 "litigation": [],
 "enforcement_actions": [
  {
   "name": "Itai Tech Ltd fined £55,000 (s. 81 and information-request breach); investigation later closed after it geoblocked the UK",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined",
   "date": null,
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "name": "AVS Group Ltd fined £1,050,000 (£1m for age-assurance breach + £50k for information request)",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined",
   "date": "2025-12-03",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "name": "Kick Online Entertainment S.A. fined £830,000",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined",
   "date": "2026-02-11",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "name": "8579 LLC fined £1,400,000 (£1.35m age-assurance breach + £50k), with £1,000 daily penalty",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined",
   "date": "2026-02-20",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "name": "Youngtek Solutions Ltd fined £600,000",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined",
   "date": "2026-05-26",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "name": "First Time Videos LLC fined £80,000; 4chan fined £540,000 in total (partly for failing to use highly effective age assurance)",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "fined (reported in June 2026 industry bulletin)",
   "date": "2026-06-29",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/online-safety-industry-bulletins/online-safety-industry-bulletin-june-2026"
  },
  {
   "name": "Statutory report on the use of age assurance (one year on)",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "published",
   "date": "2026-07-15",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/age-checks-helping-make-online-experiences-safer-for-uk-children-but-job-not-done-and-tech-industry-must-act-to-strengthen-protections"
  },
  {
   "name": "Investigation into Aylo Freesites Ltd (Pornhub) under ss. 12 and 36: whether the Apple-based age check it introduced in May 2026 is highly effective, whether it tested it enough before launch, and its children's access assessment",
   "body": "Ofcom",
   "status": "open; no breach found yet",
   "date": "2026-09-22",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-aylos-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  }
 ],
 "timeline": [
  {
   "date": "2023-10-26",
   "type": "signed",
   "text": "Online Safety Act 2023 receives Royal Assent.",
   "source": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/introduction/enacted"
  },
  {
   "date": "2025-07-25",
   "type": "effective",
   "text": "Age-assurance duties for user-to-user and search services that allow pornography take effect (sites publishing their own porn were covered from January 2025).",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "date": "2025-12-03",
   "type": "ruling",
   "text": "Ofcom fines AVS Group Ltd £1,050,000 (£1m for the age-assurance breach and £50,000 for an information request).",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-02-02",
   "type": "platform_block",
   "text": "Pornhub stops admitting new UK users; existing verified account holders keep access.",
   "source": "https://euronews.com/next/2026/01/28/pornhub-to-restrict-access-to-new-users-in-the-uk-from-next-week-company-says"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-02-11",
   "type": "ruling",
   "text": "Ofcom fines Kick Online Entertainment S.A. £830,000.",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-02-20",
   "type": "ruling",
   "text": "Ofcom fines 8579 LLC £1,400,000 (£1.35m for the age-assurance breach and £50,000), with a £1,000 daily penalty.",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-05-05",
   "type": "platform_return",
   "text": "Aylo announces it is readmitting UK users on iOS 26.4 or later who have confirmed their age through Apple's built-in check; other new users stay locked out.",
   "source": "https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pornhub-unblocks-iphone-users-apple-160020093.html"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-05-26",
   "type": "ruling",
   "text": "Ofcom fines Youngtek Solutions Ltd £600,000.",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-06-29",
   "type": "ruling",
   "text": "Ofcom's June bulletin reports fines for First Time Videos LLC (£80,000) and 4chan (£540,000 in total, partly for failing to use highly effective age assurance).",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/online-safety-industry-bulletins/online-safety-industry-bulletin-june-2026"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-22",
   "type": "lawsuit",
   "text": "Ofcom opens an investigation into whether Aylo's Apple-based age check for Pornhub is highly effective and was properly tested.",
   "source": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-aylos-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance"
  }
 ],
 "confidence": "high",
 "last_verified": "2026-10-26",
 "sources": [
  {
   "title": "Online Safety Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)",
   "url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/contents",
   "type": "statute",
   "date": "2023-10-26",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Online Safety Act 2023: introductory text as enacted (Royal Assent 26 October 2023)",
   "url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/introduction/enacted",
   "type": "statute",
   "date": "2023-10-26",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Enforcement Programme to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance",
   "type": "regulator",
   "date": "2026-05-27",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Age checks helping make online experiences safer for UK children, but job not done",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/age-checks-helping-make-online-experiences-safer-for-uk-children-but-job-not-done-and-tech-industry-must-act-to-strengthen-protections",
   "type": "regulator",
   "date": "2026-07-15",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Online Safety industry bulletin – June 2026",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/online-safety-industry-bulletins/online-safety-industry-bulletin-june-2026",
   "type": "regulator",
   "date": "2026-06-29",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Investigation into Aylo's compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance (Ofcom)",
   "url": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-aylos-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance",
   "type": "regulator",
   "date": "2026-09-23",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Pornhub to restrict access to new users in the UK from next week, company says (Euronews)",
   "url": "https://euronews.com/next/2026/01/28/pornhub-to-restrict-access-to-new-users-in-the-uk-from-next-week-company-says",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-01-28",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "If you live in the UK, you probably won't be able to visit Pornhub anymore (TechCrunch)",
   "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/if-you-live-in-the-uk-you-probably-wont-be-able-to-visit-pornhub-anymore/",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-01-27",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "The iPhone advantage: why Pornhub is welcoming Apple users back to the platform (Forbes, via Yahoo News)",
   "url": "https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pornhub-unblocks-iphone-users-apple-160020093.html",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-05-06",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Pornhub owner reverses age restrictions for some UK users (Attitude)",
   "url": "https://www.attitude.co.uk/news/pornhub-owner-reverses-age-restrictions-some-uk-users-521793/",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-05-06",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "British regulator takes a hard look at Pornhub's Apple-powered age checks (The Register)",
   "url": "https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/09/23/british-regulator-takes-a-hard-look-at-pornhubs-apple-powered-age-checks/5298558",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-09-23",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "title": "Aylo's device-level age checks may not meet 'highly-effective' bar: UK regulator (Biometric Update)",
   "url": "https://www.biometricupdate.com/202609/aylos-device-level-age-checks-may-not-meet-highly-effective-bar-uk-regulator",
   "type": "news",
   "date": "2026-09-24",
   "accessed": "2026-10-26"
  }
 ]
}