Pornhub to Block New UK Users in February
Does age verification protect children from harm or create dangerous databases that threaten privacy for all adults?
Above: The Pornhub logo is displayed on the screen of a smartphone on Jan. 28. Image credit: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Age verification for pornographic sites protects children from devastating harm and follows the same common-sense approach society uses for alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Robust age checks prevent vulnerable kids from accidentally encountering disturbing content and curb the alarming rise of sexual harassment in schools, fueled by pornography exposure.
Establishment-critical narrative
Age verification laws force adults to surrender sensitive biometric data and government IDs to access legal content, creating massive databases vulnerable to hackers. VPNs easily bypass these restrictions, making enforcement pointless while the real goal remains criminalizing LGBTQ+ content and banning adult content entirely for everyone.