Pornhub Blocks Access In 23 States And France

Pornhub and several sister sites are now inaccessible to large swaths of the United States and to all users in France, escalating a high-stakes standoff over age-verification laws. The company’s parent, Aylo, says it is proactively blocking access rather than implementing systems it argues are ineffective and risky for user privacy. Lawmakers counter that the measures are necessary to keep minors off adult platforms.

Where the Blocks Are and Why They Were Implemented

Aylo has pulled the plug in jurisdictions that require adult sites to verify users’ ages at the platform level, typically via government IDs or third-party services. The company says it supports device-based age checks handled by Apple, Google, or Microsoft—arguing that operating systems already control identity, payment, and parental controls—while warning that site-by-site verification can funnel users to unregulated lookalikes with little moderation.

Ohio is a notable outlier: its law exempts providers of interactive computer services, which Aylo says covers its platforms, so access remains available there. Elsewhere, the company is using geo-blocking to shut off traffic at the state or national level.

The States Currently Blocked by Pornhub and Aylo

As of now, access is blocked in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wyoming

France is the first country-wide block outside the US.

The Free Speech Coalition, an industry group, tracks additional bills moving through statehouses, including measures in Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., signaling the restrictions could spread further.

Europe Steps In with Investigations and Age Checks

France requires independent age verification for adult sites, prompting Aylo’s block. Separately, the European Commission opened formal investigations under the Digital Services Act into several major platforms, including Pornhub, XNXX, XVideos, and Stripchat, over potential non-compliance with minors’ protection rules and risk assessments. The cases test how far platform accountability can go without compromising privacy, and whether consistent standards can work across different national ID regimes.

The Legal Chessboard in the US: Age-Check Laws Evolve

State approaches share a common spine—“reasonable” age verification with penalties for non-compliance—but diverge on mechanics and liability. Tennessee’s Protect Tennessee Minors Act, for example, calls for hourly rechecks and data retention rules, while Texas’s HB 1181 survived a Supreme Court challenge that allowed the state to enforce its law. Louisiana’s early mandate, which Pornhub initially implemented, coincided with an estimated 80% traffic drop in-state—evidence, Aylo argues, that users migrate to sites with weaker controls when friction rises.

Proponents, including attorneys general in multiple states, say strict verification is common sense and overdue. They cite parental concerns and research on early exposure to explicit content. Industry groups and platforms have responded with a flurry of lawsuits, warning of First Amendment pitfalls and the risk that sweeping rules will scoop up legitimate adult audiences and creator livelihoods without meaningfully deterring determined minors.

Traffic and Market Impact Across States and France

Pornhub’s own Year in Review lists the US as its top market, followed by Mexico and the Philippines; France ranked sixth and the UK eighth. The company notes France’s block materially altered its rankings because only first-half data were captured. Third-party measurement firm Semrush estimated roughly 4 billion global visits in a recent month, underscoring the scale at stake as more regions weigh restrictions.

For creators and studios, abrupt state-level shutdowns can translate into lost subscriptions and ad revenue overnight. For regulators, the early numbers present a paradox: if traffic simply shifts to sites with fewer guardrails, the intended child-safety benefits may be diluted even as legal adult audiences face more hurdles.

How People Are Still Watching And The Risks

In blocked regions, some adults look for lawful ways to verify their age where supported, while others abandon mainstream platforms for smaller or overseas sites—often with weaker moderation and greater malware risk. Many also discuss privacy tools such as virtual private networks, which route traffic through remote servers and can make it appear as if a user is elsewhere. However, attempting to circumvent geographic or age-based restrictions may violate local laws or terms of service, and could expose personal data if handled by unvetted intermediaries. Nothing here is legal advice; individuals should review applicable laws and the potential consequences before making choices online.

Security professionals also warn that the post-block landscape is fertile ground for phishing and copycat sites. Basic hygiene—avoiding downloads, using reputable antivirus, enabling device-level parental controls in households with minors, and steering clear of unknown payment processors—remains essential.

What to Watch Next as Courts and Legislatures Act

With more bills on deck and litigation unfolding, the next chapter likely hinges on whether a common verification standard emerges. Aylo’s push for device-based checks shifts responsibility to operating system providers; regulators prefer independent, platform-agnostic systems. The UK’s Online Safety Act and the EU’s DSA will pressure global platforms to harmonize compliance, even as US states continue to experiment. For now, millions of adults in 23 states—and an entire country—remain locked out as a policy test with real-world consequences plays out in public.