The internet appears to be entering the “age verification era.” This was the prediction made in June by France’s media and digital communications regulator (Arcom) in its contribution to European guidelines on the protection of minors. It is clear that new fronts have opened up worldwide for the pornographic industry, which has been on the frontlines for several years.
The United Kingdom made headlines last month by announcing that, starting July 25, several major porn sites would deploy age verification tools in the UK, retiring the familiar and purely declarative button, “I am over 18.” Among these are several websites – Pornhub, RedTube, YouPorn, Tube8 and MyDirtyHobby – run by Aylo, a leading Canadian and Cypriot group in the industry. The list also includes “camshow” platforms, such as ICF Group (Streamate, LiveHDCams), Cam4 and Cypriot giant Stripchat.
Adult video sites are not the only ones complying with the measures set out in the Online Safety Act, passed in 2023. In recent weeks, a range of publishers have announced plans to deploy age verification tools in the UK, starting with Reddit, the American social media platform, which will hide its pornographic content behind a filter designed to keep minors out. The same goes for the gay dating app Grindr and even the social network Bluesky.
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