Pornhub is about to get a lot harder to access in the UK—literally. Starting July 25, the adult entertainment giant will roll out “government-approved” age verification checks for British users, tightening access under the newly enforced Online Safety Act. What this means, essentially, is that anyone looking to indulge will need to prove they’re over 18 with more than just a checkbox. Think credit cards or, more chillingly, photo ID.
The move is part of a broader crackdown on online adult content as lawmakers push for stronger child protection online. According to Ofcom, the days of trusting teens not to click “Yes, I’m over 18” are over. “Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren’t suitable for them,” said Oliver Griffiths from Ofcom, comparing porn to cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. Cute.
But critics—and, frankly, many in the LGBTQ+ community—are raising eyebrows at the so-called solution. Privacy concerns are running rampant, and not without reason. The idea of submitting your personal data, including potentially sensitive sexual orientation-related content preferences, to adult websites feels less like protection and more like surveillance with a side of shame.
Dangerously Disguised “Protection”?
The US already offers a dystopian preview of what might come next. In states like Louisiana, users have to whip out government ID before watching anything NSFW, and Florida straight-up banned Pornhub, prompting VPN use to skyrocket by over 1,000 percent. That ban didn’t stop anyone; it just made them sneakier.
Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, has called out the chaos. In their words, these laws are “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous.” They’re not wrong. Forcing users to hand over sensitive personal info to access adult content risks outing people, especially queer youth and adults in less accepting environments. Not to mention, it creates a honeypot of data just waiting to be breached.
Let’s be real—queer people already navigate a hostile online landscape, from shadow bans to censorship. Adding an extra barrier to queer porn, which often serves as a vital resource for self-discovery and education, especially for young LGBTQ+ folks, only deepens the digital divide.
LGBTQ+ Privacy on the Line
What’s particularly unsettling is the total disregard for how such policies might disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ individuals. For many, queer pornography isn’t just about pleasure—it’s about visibility, affirmation, and community. Removing easy access or making it terrifying to search for it undermines that lifeline.
With conservative lawmakers using “child protection” as a Trojan horse for increased internet control, LGBTQ+ voices are often the first to be censored. And if a national ID is the new ticket to adult content, you can bet that closeted teens and privacy-conscious queer adults will be the first pushed out of the room.
In the name of safeguarding children, the UK may have just handed its queer citizens a fresh reason to stay in the closet—or go underground.
Whether this is a victory for morality or just another excuse to police queer expression online remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain: the queer community will be watching. Probably on a VPN.